Question Number: 28118

Law 11 - Offside 1/18/2014

RE: Competitive Adult

Eric of Phoenix, Arizona United States asks...

Offside: 2 questions

1. Team A has a DFK near team B's Penalty area. Team B sets up a wall 10 yards away. At the time of the kick all players are onside. The kick deflects off of a defender in the wall and rebounds to an attacker who rushed the goal when the kick was taken who is now in an offside position, collects, shoots and scores. Allow the goal or no goal due to offside?

2. Team A goalkeeper collects the ball and punts it. Team B defenders are all at the halfway line. An attacker from Team A in B's side of the field in in offside position, returns to his half of the field to receive the punt from his keeper. Offside or no?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Eric
In the scenario 1 there is no offside here as the attacker who scored was in an onside position when the ball was kicked by his team mate. The deflection as described has no impact in the decision. It makes no difference if the onside attacker touches the ball in an offside location.
In scenario 2 this is offside as the attacker who touched the ball was in an offside position the monent the goalkeeper punted the ball and he is called offside when he touches the ball. The indirect free kick is taken in B's half at the location the attacker was when the ball was punted.
If it was a goal kick it would not be offside as a player cannot be offside from a goal kick, throw in or corner kick.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

1. If the player stayed in an onside position until the kick was taken, then she cannot be offside. Offside position is considered when a teammate touches/plays the ball, and is reconsidered on each subsequent touch/play.

2. This is offside. The player was in an offside position at the last play/touch by a teammate (the goalkeeper's punt). Running back to an onside position does not change that 'snapshot' taken at the time of the punt. While offside does not apply at goal kicks, it does apply when play has not stopped and the keeper controls and then distributes the ball.

In both of these cases, the point is that the position that matters is where the player was when the ball was kicked, not where she receives the ball. Assistant referees must remember these positions.