Question Number: 24095

Law 11 - Offside 10/6/2010

RE: Adult

Daniel of Verona, Italy asks...

I should apologise in advance for long questions, but i think all of them are subject to many controversial situations.

SITUATION:
Offensive team has a free kick 35m far from goal near out line.
Offensive player O1 is in an evident offside position in the middle of penalty area before the free kick is executed.
Executor run as to kick the ball towards O1, but in the last moment he pass the ball to offensive player O2 near him and near out line, who is onside.

During that O1 stays in offside position and doesn't interfere with goalkeeper or disturb defenders (who moreover tried to make offside trap), ball being far away from him all the time

I know that when O2 touches the ball being onside, situation resets, and action should continue without calling offside.



QUESTION 1:
Is there difference between two:

a) O1 stays calm and doesn't show intention to be active during executor passing ball to O2.

b) O2 expects ball from executor and actively move (still not disturbing defenders) and show evident intention to be actively involved in action during all time described in situation above ?



QUESTION 2:
If action continues, does it makes difference if
a) O2 run with ball directly to goal and scores
b) O2 run with ball and passes ball to O1 (being onside in that moment) ?



QUESTION 3:
I suppose that in all situations described above, referee shouldn't call offside. But then I can imagine situation which can happens very often during game: O1 'intentionally' stays calm and quiet near the left line of penalty area 10m far from goal line, not disturbing defenders, being in offside position all the time. And he waits for teammates to somehow quickly bring the ball forward (as O2 in above example), and involve in active play only after O2 pass the ball toward him being onside.
How referee should judge this?

Thanks for your patience.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Daniel
It is not an offence to be in an offside position and the player in an offside position is only penalised if he interferes with play which is touching the ball or interferes with an opponents which means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.
In all the situations there is no offside infractions and running towards the ball is not sufficient to be called offside. There has to be interfering with an opponent in those situations for offside to be called.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

The referee, or more specifically in most situations, the assistant referee on the line, will be taking a new picture in his mind of where the attacking team members are located each time the ball is touched by a teammate. O1 cannot put himself back onside - but if he stays where he is, and eventually a second defender, the ball, or even a teammate with the ball could be closer to the goal line than O1, at which time or touch, O1 is now in an onside position.

Please note the first line in Law 11 states that it is NOT an offense to be in an offside position. It only becomes an offense if the player in an offside position interferes with play (touches the ball), interferes with an opponent (deceives, blocks or otherwise distracts) or gains an advantage (defined narrowly as playing a ball which rebounds or deflects off an opponent, the crossbar or the goal posts).

And in all of these situations, it is the opinion of the referee with the assistance of his AR, that counts.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

If O1 is calmly staying in position, not becoming involved in play or not interfering with an opponent, he can stay in an offside position all game long (*) if he wants. He won't be contributing to his team's attacking efforts, but he's not doing anything that needs making a call against him.

If the situation changes so that O1 is no longer in an offside position when a teammate (O2 for instance) plays the ball, he may then become involved in play after that touch. The situation might change by the ball going beyond O1, by O1 moving back to an onside position, or by the defenders putting O1 in an onside position. But even if O1 finds himself in an onside position, there must be a touch of the ball by a teammate to 'reset' his original offside condition.

(*) - with obvious exceptions, such as at a kickoff or penalty kick where no one is allowed to be in an offside position

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

You're making this overly complicated. In every instance where O1 is onside when ball last played by teammate, stop thinking. There can be no offside. In every instance where O1 is in offside position when ball is played you also have to ask yourself, did he interfere with an opponent? He has to touch the ball to interfere with play but if he blocks the line of sight of the keeper, or inhibits a field player from seeing or getting to the ball, he is interfering with an opponent and should be sanctioned