Question Number: 24868

Law 11 - Offside 5/3/2011

RE: Rec/competitive Adult

joe tripolone of sydney, NSW AUSTRALIA asks...

Hi, can anyone tell me this answer please on offside? Attacking player shoots ball forward, all attacking players are onside at this time, while ball is traveling through it's deflected by another attacking player who is still onside. But another attacking player is offside only once the ball was deflected, but not when it was initially kicked, he then runs forward and scores. Offside or not offside?
regards
jt

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Joe, if you only remember one thing about judging offside remember this: EVERY time the ball is touched or played by a teammate offside is reset. When the ball was deflected by a teammate in your scenario (who was onside when the ball was first played by a different teammate) we forget all about the first play of the ball. Now, at the moment of this deflection, where was the player you want to know about? I think you are saying he was in an offside position when the ball was deflected. If that is so, then he may not participate in play. Since he played the ball, the flag must go up, call back the goal and award an IDFK from the place the attacker was when the ball was deflected by his teammate

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Offside position is redetermined each and every time a teammate touches or plays the ball. It doesn't matter whethe that touch is a deliberate play on the ball or not. In your scenario, since the player is in an offside position at the time of the deflection, that player cannot become involved in play until offside resets again. When the player got the ball and scores, he should have been called for offside.

Perhaps you are confused by what the opponents must do to reset offside? It must be a deliberate play by an opponent, not a rebound or deflection, for offside to be reset.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Joe
A player in an offside position is only penalised if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play.
The key to this phrase from your question's perspective is "at the moment the ball touches " so each touch whether deliberate or not by an attacking player determines the offside position of his team mates and previous touches become irrelevant.
In your scenario the deflection of the shot forward by the 2nd forward is another 'moment' in the determination of offside positions and as the 3rd forward, that eventually plays the ball, was in an offside position from that touch/deflection then it will be called offside as soon as he interferes with play or an opponent.
Let me give an example. From a goal kick players cannot be offside. So from the GK's kick out the ball is deflected away from a defender by a team mate to another team mate who is in an offside position. Would the referee deem that not to be offside because the original kick was a goal kick. Of course not. The last touch determines offside