Question Number: 26735

Law 11 - Offside 9/8/2012

RE: Comp Under 12

Stein of El Dorado Hills, CA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 23633

in Dennis Wickham's reply to a question about a deflection off a defender and offsides from 2010 July 7 he states that ' Long ago (not so long ago if you are old enough) a deflection off the defender was enough.
But, memories die hard. '

QUESTION: HOW LONG AGO ? FOUND MYSELF QUESTIONING THIS CALL IN A GAME I JUST COACHED AND NOW REALIZE(AFTER GOOGLEIING IT) I AM INTERPETING THIS SITUATION THROUGH GLASSES FROM THE PAST.

PLEASE ADVISE FOR MY SANITY - THE OPPOSING (AND YOUNGER COACH) SAID HE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS NEVER A RULE AND LOOKED AT ME AS A SENILE OLD MAN (AND I AM ONLY 53 !)

the original question Mr. Wickman's answer is below....

convincing myself I am not delusional !

Stein

Offside question:

Situation: Player is in an offside position when the ball is played. The ball is passed forward, deflects off the leg of a defender, and goes to the player in the offside position, who plays the ball.
Is the ball previously played by his teammate now considered to be played by a defender, or does the player get penalized for offside by having gained an advantage by being in an offside position when the ball was played by being in the right spot when the ball was deflected to him?

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Long ago (not so long ago if you are old enough) a deflection off the defender was enough.
But, memories die hard.

A deflection off the defense does not reset offside position. Indeed, playing the ball after it deflects off the opponent has its own category for improper involvement in play - - 'gains an advantage.' Offside position can be reset, however, when the ball is possessed and controlled by the defense.

For attacking players, a key moment is when the ball is touched by a teammate.
For defending players, it is when the ball is possessed and controlled.
defender that

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
In the season 1978-1979 the off-side Law 11 was rewritten for the 1st time since 1956. In the previous 1977-1978 Law 11, a player was not penalised if: 'The ball last touched an opponent or was last played by him'. The 1978-79 amendment introduced the important phrase: 'at the moment the ball touches, or is played by, one of his team'. So the change in 1978 meant that the mere deflection of the ball by a defender no longer placed an off-side opponent in an on-side position as had been the case.
That 1978 change is still the position today with the 'gaining an advantage by being in that position' clause.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

For most of the current players and many of their coaches, it was not part of the game they played. But, myths live on.

The change was in 1978.