Question Number: 28737

Law 11 - Offside 9/15/2014

RE: Grade 8 competitive Adult

Rob Deutsch of Cincinnati, Ohio USA asks...

,

Can an offside penalty be called off by the center ref to allow advantage for the non-penalized team to proceed? In this case, the ball was immediately stolen from the penalized team and the now attacking team has a clear path to goal. Or should play be stopped and restarted appropriately.

Thanks
Rob

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Rob ,
maybe I be a bit slow this morning but still not 100% sure of the circumstances? This is about only offside, no foul involved correct?

For example if there is a foul and I try to apply advantage and the fouled player passes the ball to an offside team mate I rather give the foul then say I tried to keep play moving but the fouled player made the mistake and award the indfk to the opposition.

So do I assume there was an offside player who was involved in active play BUT the ball had bounced kindly to a defender who was unchallenged and had time and space to formulate a deliberate play so the AR/referee kept the flag down and allowed play to proceed? Whereupon this defender with the ball possession immediately kecked it up and handed the ball back to their opponents for an easy opportunity to score?

We cannot protect a team from making a mistake but then if we act in what we think is in the best interest of the team by applying advantage and it is not advantageous we still have that brief undo the damage period of time to go back to the original infraction. You say immediately so it sounds as there is time to award the original indfk for offside .

I often debate this concept of advantage as it applies to offside! ONLY, in my opinion, if the ball was SAFELY in the keeper's arms within his own penalty area am I likely to keep the flag down! Possibly, if a magnificent clearance sent an onside attacker streaking in from nowhere 60 yards down the field and I had refrained from raising the flag would I keep it down.

I have allowed a keeper who gathered in a bouncing ball to benefit from a punt out or a throw out as opposed to awarding the indfk from say a poor offside position where the restart is behind him in the goal area.

In the same vein of thinking, I have awarded the indk for an offside restart just shy at the midline, a much better location, as opposed to accept the keeper's location with the ball in hand, inside his PA as beneficial, at say the u-12 level! So yes application of advantage for offside is conceivable, just not very practical for the most part! Keeping play moving is not a good enough reason, there must be a chance of furthering the attack more so than awarding the indfk!

In fact I recall one offside player who was challenging for the ball but a high bounce and the keeper had control in his hands in his PA so we kept the flag down. Thinking ok, no reason to stop play! However, after a few seconds the offside player had retreated so rather than punt the ball the keeper dropped the ball to the ground and tried to dribble a bit UNAWARE there was another opponent behind him who casually swept in front of him and deposited the gift into the back of the net! That former offside opponent was not active initially, but the new touch by the keeper freed him to participate! Our good intentions to apply advantage and keep play moving really backfired even if it was the keeper's situational unawareness that caused it! Sigh GOOD GOAL by the way !

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

Hi Rob,
Thanks for trusting us to answer your question but I will respond with a query of my own. .
We all been there, done that, enjoyed the good, withstood the bad. It might seem inconsequential to some but properly prepared written reports on facts regarding play formulate the entire basis of understanding when review committees have to go over situational circumstances that they HAVE NOT NOR EVER WILL SEE! It is an art form, unfortunately not often taken seriously because the referee is usually not the one dealing with the repercussions.

You received a set of answers responding to the situation and circumstances of a scenario you provided, by several wise and experienced referees. As you can tell by the responses we are unclear as to the EXACT circumstances of your situation.

Each panel referee who donates their time and energy in answering a question does so with integrity and compassion. We all support the LOTG with equal fervour but within each response is our own unique character signature!

Aside from dispensing information, this site enjoys a privileged position where we can and do try to hold those who ask questions, referees in particular, to a higher standard because as a job we strive to be professional in our efforts at every level of the game be it the u little's, recreational, high school, college, adult, semi pro, pro or World Cup.

We encourage the young officials, in fact any referee, to think for themselves, to deliberate carefully when and especially after performing their duties! To remember that a referee is an ambassador to the game away from the field as much as on it!

You might think it odd to be critiqued for a simple question you wanted answered but ask yourself, what value do you gain if those that claim to offer assistance do not provide due diligence in dispensing what they believe is useful or helpful information?

You are not being singled out but you are being challenged to become a better referee. We believe our mandate is to encourage better understanding, better relationships' between those that make up the game; -the fans, - the coaches, - the players, - the parents, and by forcing referees to consider the, What ifs? and how their actions translate into the well being of any match, prior, during and post.

I think you should reprocess all the information and resubmit a report in greater detail and clarity so every one can follow exactly the circumstances as if they were watching there with you!

We do hope to hear from you again and look forward to rendering what ever assistance we can!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Rob
Advantage can be played on an Offside call. Advantage will accrue when the offended against team ie the defending team has clear unfettered possession of the ball and the team will benefit from allowing play to continue with perhaps a quick counter attack. Examples include where the ball is touched by a player in an offside position and the ball goes weakly back to the goalkeeper who gathers the ball and throws it to a team mate who has perhaps 30/40 yards of space to advance into with the ball and begin an attack. The same result might happen if the IDFK was awarded yet it might take longer to set up giving the opponents time to regroup. So advantage should be played.
Now what should not happen is that advantage is played in the last third of the FOP and there is a risk of losing the ball or advantage not accruing. The referee has to judge the intentions / tactics of the teams to decide what is best in the circumstances. Most times the IDFK is the safest decision. An example is where a defender receives the ball from a touch by an offside player and while he may have the ball under his control the opponents immediately close him down. There is no advantage in that situation.
I might add that under the current Law 11 the circumstances of calling offside are reducing. For instance a touch of the ball or a challenge for the ball by the PIOP is required for offside to be called. Simply being in an offside position is not enough and when the defending team gain control / possession of the ball then offside positions are reset.