Question Number: 28731

Law 11 - Offside 9/14/2014

RE: competive Under 16

Alan of Heathfield, East Sussex uk asks...

The attacker was in an offside position when the ball was played by another attacker to him but the ball looped up & by the time he actually received the ball he was in an onside position because a defender had run back to cover. I flagged him as offside & received howls of protest from opposing supporters - was I correct?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Alan
Your decision was correct. Many do not understand Law 11 and this will have looked like onside due to the position when the player touched the ball. You however knew better. It is not a popularity contest and unfortunately howls of protest go with the territory even when the correct decision is made.
You might note that some assistant referees make a gesture of moving the left hand back and forward over the top of the outstretched flag to signal coming back from offside to onside. That can help sell the decision to those that know the game. It is not in the FIFA AR signals and as a general rule, the assistant referee must not give obvious hand signals. However, in some instances, a discreet hand signal may give valuable support to the referee. The hand signal should have a clear meaning. The meaning should have been discussed and agreed upon in the pre-match discussion.
When used it also shows that it was not a standard offside decision.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Alan,
welcome to world of offside dyslexia or the opportunity to irate at least 50% of those watching for no apparent reason. You were spot on mate ! Once the offside position is a go NOTHING an offside restricted player can do will change anything! That includes running back into his own half or retreating back so far that his opponents are now between him an the opposition goal so he looks to be onside.

As they say, looks can be deceiving! Good job!
ONCE a player is caught as being in an offside position at the critical moment when his team mate last played/touched the ball he is restricted no matter what he does and where he goes because NOTHING an offside restricted player 'ORP' can do on his own will change anything

There are only 3 stages of play that could allow an offside restricted player (ORP) to rejoin active play.

One - a NEW teammate's touch of the ball
(1) Condition one requires the former offside restricted player to no longer be in an offside position when this new touch occurs. Offside reset occurs at ANY teammate touch of the ball deliberate or accidental creating a NEW phase of play with a new freeze frame snap shot of the new positioning of the players on the field

Two - opposing player deliberately plays/controls the ball
(2) Condition two must simply occur, offside position is not part of the equation because condition one no longer applies the former restricted offside player can legally contest ball possession if his opponents now have actually touched the ball with unchallenged control/possession which frees a previously restricted offside positioned attacker to rejoin active play no matter his position on the field

There are 3 exceptions pertaining to gaining an advantage
If the opponent/defender touch of the ball is deemed in the opinion of the officials to be a
- rebound
- deflection
- deliberate save
these WILL NOT RESET nor change an attacking opponents' restricted offside status!

Three - the ball goes out of play
(3) Condition three requires a restart of play!
Three restarts are free from any offside criteria by either team (Throw-in, Corner kick, Goal kick) where position is NOT a factor at the moment of the kick
A NEW positional offside evaluation will occur ONLY from the team taking the kick be it indk or direct as there is a new touch of ball by the attacking team/or team mates. The opponents are exempt because condition two now applies
Cheers