Question Number: 23109

Law 11 - Offside 4/13/2010

RE: Competitive College

Harry Doyle of London, N/A UK asks...

If a player is in an offside position inside the opponents half and the ball is player by a teammate to him but a defender heads the ball backwards into the path of the attacker is this offside ?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

If an opponent deliberately plays the ball (demonstrates control) to an opponent who was in an offside position when that player's teammate last touched the ball, there is no offside offense. If the ball merely deflects off the opponent to the offside-positioned player, offside is called.

So it depends on what the referee thought of the nature of the header. Was it a deliberately controlled play? No Offside. Or was it a deflection? Offside.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Harry
The key word here is control. Control is the ability to manipulate the ball and prepare it for a following touch. So the referee has to decide if the defender exerted enough control of the ball to reset the offside.
In general headers IMO do not result in 'good' control of the ball and many referess will call the offside.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Headers can present a challenge for the referee. Is it clear possession and control (to reset offside position)? Or, is it a deflection (which does not)?

The skill of the players may help the referee decide. If the defender was heading the ball back to a keeper who could handle the ball, but the defender failed to account for the attacker in offside position, I'm likely to keep the flag down. If there is nothing that indicates the defender was controlling where the ball went, I'm inclined to believe the header was just a deflection.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

This is going to totally depend on the opinion of the referee or AR and the skill level of the players will be important in that decision. At higher levels of play, many referees will automatically see this as obvious control thus eliminating any possibility of an offside infraction. At lower levels, it will not be so obvious.