Question Number: 25609

Law 11 - Offside 10/15/2011

RE: Rec Adult

Joe Hoeflinger of Chelsea, MI USA asks...

Player A is in offside position. Player B makes pass, but between them is defensive player (1), who attempts to stop ball and handles the ball. I called hand ball. Argument is made that player A should have been called for offside because defensive player 1 would not have handled ball if player A would not been in offside position, and so 'gained advantage'. No, player 1 should have just let the ball go by and player A would have been called for offside.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Offside isn't about making assumptions on what a defender would or wouldn't have decided to do had that player not been there - it isn't about rewarding or punishing the mistakes of defenders. Simply being there doesn't constitute 'interfering with an opponent'.

Thus, unless the attacker had actually done something to becoming involved in active play first, then the correct decision is to penalise the defender for deliberate handling.

'Gaining an advantage' has a very specific definition in the LOTG, and refers to receiving a ball that's rebounded off the crossbar, goalposts or opponent.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Joe
Unless the player in an offside position was interfering with the opponent there is no offside offence here and the deliberate handling should be called.
Much can happen between the deliberate handling and an offside offence. The PIOP could chose to ignore the ball, a player in an onside position could come forward for the ball etc.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Your answer (call the deliberate handling) is the current interpretation of the law.

There was a time, not so long ago, when the offside would have been the right answer. But, today, if the player in offside position does not touch the ball, the offside infringement should be called only if the player did something that actually interfered with the defenders ability to see or play the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

A is not offside, because the defender didn't give him the chance to become offside.

If the defender would have let the ball go through and A played the ball, then offside would have been called. If the defender played the ball fairly (e.g. header or with the foot) and it glanced through to A anyway, that's what the Laws define as 'gaining an advantage', and offside would have been called.

The only way offside would be called without A touching the ball is if he had gotten close enough to the defender to interfere with play. The pleas of 'he had to handle it because of A's position' don't constitute this interference. A has to actively do something, not just be in an offside position, to interfere with the defender.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 25632