Question Number: 23640

Law 11 - Offside 7/8/2010

RE: Adult

stopgap of sydney, nsw australia asks...

This question is a follow up to question 23624

I received conflicting answers from the referees re this question. From a goal kick the goalie's team mate receives the ball in the attacking half whilst he is in an offside position. He would not be offside. However in this case,the ball hits a defenders head on the way through to the attacker. Offside or not? Thanks

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Stopgap
Why would it be offside when the attacker cannot be offside directly from the goalkick and the only player to touch the ball is an opponent? It just cannot be offside and the only way that it could be is if the touch of the ball from the goal kick is off a team mate's head to the PIOP.

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

Offside is initiated when touched or played by one of his TEAM. Since the only person from his team, who 'touched or played the ball' the ball did it from a goal kick and since there is no offside from a goal kick, this play is not offside. Assistant referees and referees watch for offside when the ball is 'touched or played' by a team. That is the moment when they must judge whether a player in an offside position is to be penalized. Here, there is nothing to watch for because in the first place nobody was in an offside position to start with since goal kicks are exempt from offside.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Not offside.

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

The conflict, if any, arose from the wording of the original question which asked:

'If an attacker receives the ball directly from his keeper when the attacker is in the other half of the pitch and in an offside position I understand that he is not offside. However, if a defender tries to head the ball away from the goal kick but the ball flies off the back of his head to the attacker in that offside position is he still deemed to be onside?'

The panel gave answers which included whether an offside could occur on a goal kick even if it deflected off a defender, which we think was the original intent, and the opposing answer which applied if the ball directly from the goalkeeper was NOT from a goal kick, but instead was a punt, kick or throw, which was also a possible scenario from the question.

So, no conflict in the answers. If from a goal kick, no offside even if it deflects off a defender.

If from a punt, it would depend entirely on whether or not the attacker was in an offside position at the moment the keeper punted the ball. If he was in an offside position, then the deflection off the defender does not cure his offside problem, and if he gets involved, he is offside. That can only be cured if the defender controls and then plays the ball.