Question Number: 27432

Law 11 - Offside 5/15/2013

RE: Intermediate Under 12

Phil of Tarzana, CA United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 27392

What if we change the facts slightly. Instead of GK getting to the ball, A2 (who is not offside) gets to the ball first & kicks the ball. It deflects off A1 (who is standing in an offside position, but doesn't move). It deflects back to A2, who scores.

Can A1 be said to interfere with the play because he was offside & it deflected off a shot by A2? In the original question, A1 could even play the ball from an offside position, since he got it directly from the opponent GK. Here, the ball comes from a teammate.

Thanks in advance,

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Phil
It makes no difference if the touch by the player in the offside position is deliberate or not. It can be a deflection, rebound, accidental etc. Once it is a touch that is all that matters.
An extreme example would be a player lying on the ground injured in an offside position. If the ball was to hit the player from a play by a team mate, offside must be called.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

the ball was last played by a teammate. it touched A1 who was in an offside position. A1 has interfered with play. call offside

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

See Question: 27461