Question Number: 27375

Law 11 - Offside 4/29/2013

RE: Competitive Travel Under 15

Tony Fong of Norton, MA USA asks...

Hi. Yesterday during my daughter's game, we had a situation where a ball was cleared out of our defensive side of the field just over the center stripe. A defender on the opposing team who happened to be the last defender, went up to head it but could not get up high enough. The ball redirected off of her head and ended up behind her. Our striker who was behind her and technically in an offside position got the ball and was on a dead breakaway. The play was called offsides, but if the opposing player made a play on the ball and made contact with the ball, my question is whether this should have been offsides. Thanks for your replies.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Before 1978, offside position was reset when a defender touched the ball. Since then, however, a deflection off the defender does not affect offside position. Indeed, the offside infringement of 'gaining advantage from an offside position' is defined as touching the ball after it deflects off an opponent. A player in offside position becomes again eligible to play the ball after the opponent gains possession and control of the ball.

Headers present a problem. At the highest levels, a header usually will be considered possession and control of the ball. The ball goes exactly where the defender intended. In most youth and amateur play, however, a header will be considered a deflection.

As your description suggests, most headers in youth play are only a deflection. The offside flag should go up.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Tony
As described this is offside for 'gaining an advantage by being in that position'
"Gaining an advantage by being in that position" means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a goalpost or the crossbar having been in an offside position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position.''
That is just about to be amended in the updated Laws of the game which will issue shortly with 'deflection' included. The reason was that some interpreted incorrectly a deflection as not a rebound. In this situation it is a deflection which does not reset the offside.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

The only thing that would 'reset' offside here is control - if the defender deliberately headed it back to the keeper and it was intercepted, then that would not be offside.

As you said, the ball skimmed off her head because she couldn't jump high enough - clearly, that's not control, so we consider this a deflection.

The fact that she deliberately played at the ball is, despite what many think, irrelevant as the laws specifically allow for these scenarios to still lead to offside.