Question Number: 22778

Law 11 - Offside 1/30/2010

RE: College

Saad of Karachi, Sindh Pakistan asks...

Is it offside if on a free kick the keeper punches the ball away then another striker kicks the ball in.?
Basically I am talking about keeper rebound over here.
and is it offside if in the same scenario the ball rebounds from the pole and then a striker puts it in? because in both cases the defending team never had 'control' over the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Tom Stagliano

Saad

I am assuming you are asking about a team mate of the kicker.

If, at the moment the ball is last touched by his team mate, that attacker was in an offside position, he will remain in an offside position until either: the ball goes out of play, the ball is controlled and then played by an opponent, or the ball touches a team mate (assuming he is now in an onside position).

Therefore, in your scenarios, if that attacker was in an offside position when the ball was last played by his team mate (the free kick) and the ball rebounds from the goalie or from the goal post to that player, in either case he has committed an Offside Infraction and the game should stopped and the opposing team awarded an IFK.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Saad
If the attacking player is in an offside position when the ball is touched by a team mate then he is deemed to be offiside when he touches the ball that rebounds from a goalkeeper or a goalpost.
The offside term is gaining an advantage by being in that position and it means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a goalpost or the crossbar having been in an offside position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position.
A punch would be termed a rebound.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

If there is no control over the ball when it is punched, then the opponent who is in an offside position at the moment his teammate last touches the ball and who gains an advantage by being in that position will be called for offside when he plays the rebound.

The same thing applies to a rebound off of a goal post or crossbar, or a rebound off of a defender including the goalkeeper. An opponent in an offside position at the moment the ball is last played by his teammate will be called for offside for gaining an advantage by being in that position when he plays the rebound.

Rarely, a goalkeeper who punches a ball does so deliberately and with control, in which case the player in an offside position could play the ball. The referee would need to be very convinced the ball was controlled by the play, and this would only happen in very skilled play.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The referee has to judge whether the 'punch' by the keeper is sufficient possession and control to reset offside position. I would normally treat a punch as a deflection (which does not reset offside position), but the circumstances (including level of play) could prove otherwise.