Question Number: 23032

Law 11 - Offside 3/29/2010

RE: rec Under 14

ron of minneapolis, mn usa asks...

A pass from the attacking team is deflected by a player unintentionally to a teammate who is in an offside position. The teammate then shoots and scores. Is this offside? What if the ball had deflected from the defending team? It seems that both should be offside since the attacking player gained an advantage being in an offside position but I am not sure.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Let's say A kicks the ball, it deflects off B, and then C plays it.

If B is a teammate, it is offside for interfering with play when the ball is touched by a player who was in an offside position.

If B is an opponent, it is offside for gaining an advantage.

Note that the timing of the offside position is different. If B is a teammate, C's offside position is noted at the time B touches the ball. But if B is an opponent, C's offside position is determined at the time A last touches the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Ron
A deflection/rebound off a defending player does not reset the offside.
If the deflection even if accidental is off a team mate then that is the touch that determines offside position as per Law 11. For example
One could possibly have the scenario where say the ball is kicked by the goalkeeper towards a team mate who is in an offside position, he then moves to an onside position and it is deflected to him off a team mate after he has moved to that onside position. That is not offside even though he was in an offside position from the kick by his goalkeeper but did not meet all the condition of interfering with play for it to be called. The deflection by the team mate was the touch that determined the offside position

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If the ball touches a teammate of a player in offside position and then the ball goes to the OSP player, that player may not become actively involved in play. In your case the OSP player kicked the ball and thus was interfering with play. Call the offside.