Question Number: 27630

Law 11 - Offside 7/29/2013

RE: Adult

Brian Davis of Udon Thani, Udon Thani Thailand asks...

Scenario
A forward for Team A has been slow in coming back from his teams attack and remains alone say 10 yards inside the oppositions half, wide on the left. Team B is in the process of a determined attack and all their players have crossed the halfway line.
But suddenly the ball is hoisted forward on the right over the halfway line and the speedy winger for Team A chases from his own half, leaves defenders(team B) behind, making for goal.
The Team A player way out on the left sees the opportunity with the opposition keeper exposed and his mate chasing down the right, follows up, but keeps behind the ball.
Sure enough, the right player draws the keeper, before rolling the ball across to allow a simple tap into goal for the left player.
My thoughts
Something which has always, as a centre-back and Sunday league ref, baffled me.
Im very sure the above or very similar situation happens many times. And, from many games I see, Im sure the referee/assistants do NOT feel the left player is interfering with play immediately the ball goes forward, or when its passed to him to score " the argument presumably being hes the other side of the pitch, after all. The officials do NOT call offside.
BUT, by being in that position, hes got an advantage (in this case, 10 yards + over chasing defenders) and subsequently uses that lead to score. At the time the ball goes forward, admittedly the other side of the pitch, he does not have two opposition players between himself and the goal.
In distant times, offside would have been given as soon as the ball went forward. But in recent times with new interpretation, I cant recall offside being ruled. Indeed, is there a referee correct or brave enough to call the play back for offside near the halfway line, when a players just scored?
Whats your view?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Brian
Being in an offside position is not an offence and has never been an offence. Even going back a number of years the Law at that time required that the player had to be involved in active play and this would not be active play so offside would not have been called.

The player always has to do something more and the present Offside Law 11 requires that it is either playing the ball or challenging an opponent for the ball or preventing an opponent from playing the ball by obstructing his line of vision. If he does none of these while in an offside position then he cannot be called offside.

In this case the player in an offside position did nothing that could be called offside. Once the team mate in an onside position touched the ball that began another phase of play. When the ball was eventually touched by the player that was originally in an offside position he was in an onside position and perfectly entitled to play the ball.

So there was no offside offence here.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

'Gaining an advantage' can cause confusion with players because the term is used in a very narrow sense (not the general one that most defenders apply). It means only one thing: touching the ball after the ball deflects off an opponent or the goal.

Almost all of the changes in the offside law in the past 15 years have favored the attacking team. It is not enough to be in the area of play. The player must do something that: (1) interferes with a defender's ability to see or play the ball; (2) challenges for the ball; or (3) touches the ball.