Body cameras to protect referees from physical and verbal assaults from players could be trialled ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The use of those, along with trials of kick-ins to replace throw-ins, were discussed at IFAB’s annual general meeting in Doha on Monday.
The game’s lawmakers have decided against a trial of temporary concussion substitutes in the year ahead despite calls supporting such tests from former players, unions and medics.
An open letter to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) was co-signed by ex-players including Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, along with the Professional Footballers’ Association and top consultant neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart, and urged the introduction of temporary concussion substitute trials, claiming the current guidelines failed to protect player safety.
The IFAB said it had reconsidered temporary substitutions on Monday but that its focus would be on existing trials of additional permanent concussion subs.
"Temporary concussion substitutes were reconsidered, but the members agreed that the trials should continue to focus on permanently removing any player with actual or possible concussion to ensure this player does not continue taking part in the match in question," an IFAB press release stated.
"It was agreed that further education is needed to ensure the trial protocols are applied correctly."
The AGM also received a report on semi-automated offside technology, which has been trialled at the Arab Cup last year and the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this year.
Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of FIFA’s referees’ committee, said no definite decision had been taken on whether the technology would be used at the World Cup in Qatar later this year but he was "very confident" it would be in place at the finals.
The ability to make up to five substitutions in a match was formally ratified at the AGM and has now become a permanent part of the laws of the game, having initially been introduced on a temporary basis as a measure to assist with fixture congestion caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
