Question Number: 28037

Law 11 - Offside 11/29/2013

RE: select Under 16

bob of jacksonville , fl duval asks...

This question is a follow up to question 26914

In our recertification class this year, we were told the rule has changed. The defender no long has to 'control' the ball but only has to make a deliberate attempt to play it. Your ruling? By the way, at a recent tournament, as a group, we were also given this instruction.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

I'm sorry to say, someone has interpreted it incorrectly. This is new this year in the Interpretation and Guidance section of the Laws:

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• "gaining an advantage by being in that position" means playing a ball
i. that rebounds or is deflected to him off the goalpost, crossbar or an
opponent having been in an offside position
ii. that rebounds, is deflected or is played to him from a deliberate save
by an opponent having been in an offside position
A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent, who
deliberately plays the ball (except from a deliberate save), is not considered
to have gained an advantage.
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Note the last sentence says the opponent must deliberately play the ball - not make an attempt to play the ball - to absolve the attacker from offside.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The change in the terminology was to clarify that 'a deliberate play' of the ball was less than what some referees were requiring as 'possession and control.' The words changed in the hope that referee decisions would change for the better. But, the definition is still part of 'gaining and advantage' which involves a PIOP playing the ball after the ball touches the crossbar/goal post or an opponent. While the referee still needs to make a judgment between a deflection (offside) and a deliberate play (not offside), the defender still must ordinarily make contact with the ball to 'play' it.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Bob
There seems to be some confusion here. Law 11 was amended to deal with situations in some countries where it was interpreted that a save by the goalkeeper was a deliberate play and it reset offside. It also tried to tidy up the difference between a rebound / deflection and a deliberate play of the ball.
Now we know there are easy decisions at either end of the scale. The ball that hits a defender and rebounds / deflects does not reset offside whereas a player deliberately kicks the ball after control to a player in an offside position resets offside. Now when we get into the middle ground there is still a opinion decision to be made by the referee.
I watched in a Champions' League game during the week and a situation where a defender side footed a shot away from the goal in the direction of a team mate. Immediately an attacker who was off the FOP in an offside position challenged for the ball and it was flagged offside. Was it a save or a deliberate play of the ball? The AR deemed it to be a save.
The most common one is where a defender stretches to head a ball and the ball deflects off his head. Is it a deliberate play the ball of the ball or a deflection? IMO it is a deflection on the basis that the player has exerted no influence on the ball. Now that should not be confused by an error / mistake by the defender who clearly heads the ball and it goes to a player in an offside position because it was underplayed or misjudged.
I was at a game recently and an AR flagged an offside that was IMO not offside. The ball was played forward towards a PIOP. An onside player went towards the ball and the defender clearly tried to head the ball back towards goal but it was went to the PIOP. That was not offside as it was a poorly executed deliberate play of the ball by the defender and it was simply underplayed. If the defender went to head the ball and it deflected off the top of his head having exerted no 'influence' on the ball then that would have offside.

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

See Question: 28058