FIFA president Sepp Blatter's plan to end "farcical" friendly matches by restricting the number of substitutes allowed to a maximum of five per team may be derailed when the International Board meets on Saturday.
Blatter is determined to stop the practice of using up to 11 substitutes in friendly internationals claiming it is undermining the credibility of the matches.
But the English Football Association, one of eight members of the International Board, the sport's ultimate law-making body, is expected to bring a file to the meeting at Claridge's Hotel which opposes Blatter's plan.
The file contains the views of more than a dozen leading coaches, including Sven-Goran Eriksson of England, Italy's Giovanni Trapattoni and Luis Felipe Scolari of Portugal, who want to continue with unrestricted substitutions in friendlies.
Six of the eight board representatives have to agree before any law can be changed and Blatter's proposal might be rejected.
Whether that might sour the 'party atmosphere' surrounding Blatter's visit to London remains to be seen.
Blatter will head a FIFA executive committee meeting in London on Sunday and is also meeting Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Tony Blair as world soccer's governing body kicks off its centenary year celebrations this week and next.
LONGER INTERVAL
Other proposals on the Board's agenda include extending the halftime break from 15 to 20 minutes and a return to an automatic booking for any player who removes his shirt when celebrating a goal.
FIFA has also proposed that the Golden Goal, which automatically ends a deadlocked final in extra time, rather than a Silver Goal, which allows the losing team time to recover, is incorporated into the laws of the game.
The Board will consider reports on the recent experiments into radio communication equipment used by referees at the Confederations Cup and in the Scottish premier league.
The recent case of a goalkeeper in Belgium wearing an earpiece so he could hear instructions from his coach is not on the agenda.
The proposal to lengthen the halftime interval follows a request from the German FA.
German clubs believe that adding five minutes to the break will give fans more time to spend money on snacks and souvenirs.
Each club could earn up to an estimated 250,000 pounds ($465,500) a year from the extra selling time -- not including greater TV advertising revenue from an extended break.
A German official said last month: "This has got nothing to do with the players, it is about marketing and merchandising."
Many clubs, including German ones, are facing severe financial problems and could welcome a longer halftime break if it would help them raise extra cash.
Another topic for discussion involves injured players who need treatment having to remain off the field for at least two minutes before being able to rejoin the game.
The actual playing surfaces for matches are likely to be recognised in the statutes for the first time too.
The Board are expected to give the go-ahead for major internationals and club matches to be played on artificial pitches. In the past these games only went ahead with the approval of the teams involved.
The International Board, formed in 1886, comprises representatives from the four British associations -- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland -- and four representatives from FIFA and is the game's ultimate law-making authority.
