Question Number: 20028

Law 11 - Offside 9/21/2008

RE: AYSO Rec Under 15

Lincoln of Palmdale, CA. USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 20003

Follow-up to Q20003, (1)the defender is able to control the ball but the attacker in the offside position sprints back and tackles the ball away from the defender gets 1 v 1 against the GK and shoots on goal. Did not the offside attacker gain an advantage? (2) the defender is able to control the ball but makes a deliberate pass back towards his GK and the offside player is able to sprint to the ball ahead of him (thereby putting him onside)between him and the GK and shoot on goal. What is the call if any?
(3)after a stoppage in play e.g. Ref consults with AR,the referee drop ball near the goal and the ball rolls into the
net without being touched by any player or the GK. Is this a goal? What if is touched only by the GK and goes into goal?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

(1) This would not be gaining an advantage, but could be interfering with an opponent. If so, then offside.

(2) Not offside - simply a bad choice of a play.

(3) This is unlikely; the ball must be dropped at least 6 yards from the goal. However, Law 8 tells us that the dropped ball is retaken 'if the ball leaves the field of play after it makes contact with the ground, without a player touching it.' The goalkeeper is a player; if he is so unlucky to touch the ball and it still rolls into the goal, it is a valid goal.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

(1)The offside attacker cannot be in the process of closing the defender down within the immediate vicinity as the defender is in the process of gaining controled posession of the ball. Such control must be uncontested. ONCE control thus possession is achieved THEN the offside restriction is lifted then the former offside positioned player could fairly challange BUT not before!
The COULD part of interfering with an opponent is dependant on the proximity and actions by the offside attacker and in the opinion of the referee.

(2) This is a mistake and there is no offside restriction in place as the criteria was reset by the fact the ball was last played by an opponent. There is no call unless of course a goal results from the shot then we have a kick -off

(3) A drop ball that leaves the field of play without touching a player is redropped. If the keeper or in fact if any player touched the ball after the ball touches the ground it would be a goal. NO drop ball restart can occur closer than 6 yards away from the goal as like the indfk special circumstances of a restart within the goal area on the goal area line parallel to the goal line.
Cheers

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 20041