Question Number: 23631

Law 11 - Offside 7/6/2010

RE: AYSO Under 13

Mike of Chino Hills, CA USA asks...

I wish the pundits would reflect on the spirit of the offside law, which is to keep players from camping out by the opposing goal. They now measure offside to the precise half-inch. Even worse, the freeze frame appears to be off a step. In the Uruguay vs Netherlands match, they show the frame with the ball already in flight. When I step back a frame, Persie appears to be onside just as the ball is struck, but before it takes flight. It is extremely doubtful, and the referee did well to keep the flag down.

Even if Persie was offside, he did not interfere with an opponent or play. Do you agree?

That said, Netherlands created their own luck by playing well. Defenders that live by the offside trap, deserve to die by it.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Mike
I agree with your interpretation of this incident. Van Persie did not touch the ball so he was not interfering with play. As he was not interfering with the view of the goalkeeper on the initial shot nor did he prevent an opponent from playing the ball nor did he deceive or distact an opponent he could not be called offside for interfering with an opponent either so IMO the correct decision was made to allow the goal.
In the game there was IMO only one obvious error in offside which was the Kuyt diving header in the first half. All other offside flags are so tight as you say that it is impossible at speed and with the naked eye to get them right 100% like it can be done with a line and shading on a freeze frame screen. ARs are probably now so edgy about missing offside decision that they are erring on the cautious side which is bad for the game and certainly not what the law framers would like.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

One of the privileges of being a fan is to complain about offside decisions when goals are allowed to the other team and taken away from ours. But, the pundits all played in a different time. The more annoying ones played when the flag went up whenever anyone was in offside position. Others played when the flag went up when anyone in offside position was in the 'area' of play.

The framers of the law, however, have adjusted the offside interpretations in favor of the attacking team. No other provision of the law states, as Law 11 does, what is not an infringement. It is not an infringement to be in an offside position. The player must interfere with play (by touching the ball) or interfere with an opponent (by hindering an opponents ability to see or play the ball).

When the goal was scored, I roared 'offside' in the belief that VanPersie had touched the ball. High definition, stop motion, multiple angle, and endless replay proved me wrong. It also 'proved' that the keeper could see the ball and neither his, nor any other defender's ability to move toward the ball was hindered. Presence is not enough. The decision to allow the goal IMO was correct.