Paul GARDNER

IFAB is not fit for purpose

Not a spectacular year, 1883. Karl Marx died; Mussolini was born. Pinocchio and Treasure Island were published. In the USA, the Brooklyn Bridge opened.

But in London, for supporters of the increasingly popular sport of football, there was a happening that looked to have great significance: the formation of IFAB, the International Football Association Board, marking the sport’s arrival as an international force.

Except, it didn’t really. IFAB was fraudulently named. It was formed as the body responsible for the sport’s rules, which it pompously called laws. It had four