Question Number: 24317

Law 11 - Offside 11/14/2010

RE: Rec Under 13

DougB of Irvine, Ca USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 24289

I think I know how the LOTG works on this, but I'm just trying to wrap my head around it a bit better.

Offside is Law 11, and Advantage is only for Law 12, correct?

Player Attacker1 (A1) has the ball, their own side of the field.

Player A2 is relaxing over near the goal line, hanging out and talking with the corner flag.

Player Def is right where they should be, probably around the 20 yard line.

Player A1 passes the ball to player A2 (What was he thinking?)

Both players, A2 (from offside by the corner) and Def arrive at the ball near the touch line, around the 20 yard line.

So the restart would be where A2 was at the time the ball was kicked, near the corner flag, instead of 20 yards up the field, is this correct?

Could the referee wait a few moments, similar to advantage, and see if the defenders end up with control of the challenge, and then consider it as 'trifling'? Doesn't seem like it.

I'm just wondering, as the team that was offended ends up getting disadvantaged further by the location of the restart.

Thank you for any comments on this would be helpful so I can more easily shrug off the 'c'mon ref!' comments.

Thanks again for the great site.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

1. The restart is where the player was in offside position at the moment the ball was touched by a teammate. Here, the corner flag.

2. 'Advantage' isn't used in law 11, but related concepts can occur whenever the player in offside position (PIOP) does not touch the ball.

Has the defender interfered with an opponent when the defender gains full possession and control of the ball? Probably not. When the defender and attacker are moving toward the ball, the assistant can wait and see what happens. If the attacker gets to the ball first; raise the flag! If the attacker actually interferes with the defender's ability to see or play the ball; raise the flag. But, if the defender gets full control of the ball, and the attacker has not interfered; keep the flag down! The game flows better when the assistant referee waits and sees.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Doug
Yes the indirect free kick is taken from where the player in an offside position was located when the ball was played by a team mate not where he touches the ball. In this case beside the corner flag.
Referee Wickham has given the USSF opinion on advantage. In Ireland and the UK we have a different approach from the advice given in the USSF ATR and more latitude. There will be situations where the AR will flag for offside and say the ball deflects off the player in an offside position safely into the hands of the goalkeeper who wants to get on with play by either a throw or a punt. The referee in that situation can wave the flag down and allow play to continue to the benefit of the team in possession. So lets say in your example the PIOP challenges the GK who win the ball with a catch and the AR raises his flag. The referee rather than awarding the IDFK which must be taken at the corner flag can allow play to continue by way of advantage.