Question Number: 28764

Law 11 - Offside 9/22/2014

RE: competitive Under 13

Dan Speller of Bournemouth, Dorset United Kingdom asks...

Hi,
I'm still not really ofay with some of the finer points regarding the offside rule. Can you tell me what would happen if the ball is played forward by team A towards team B's goal. It then takes a deflection off a team B defender and falls into the path of team A's striker who is in an offside position. The striker then scores.
Somebody told me that because the defender was the person who touched the ball before the striker received the ball, that the goal stood but how can this be the case if the striker was in an offside position?
thank you

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Dan,
no worries mate you not be the only one!

You use the word deflection, if in the opinion of the referee it is a deflection it will always be ruled offside as nothing is reset for the opposition on a TRUE deflection. What has occurred recently is the definition of a deflection/rebound is being tweaked more in line with how deliberate handling is judged. Is it the ball to hand or hand to ball? In the case of offside is it the ball choosing to play the man or is the man choosing to play the ball

Offside is often referred to as a simple premise yet its application, terrifies, mystifies and just plain seems to defy understanding at times.
Recently the IFAB and FIFA has once again stirred the pot of offside stew by having a few words deleted, then added a phrase or two, supposedly to clarify some ambiguity in reasoning on the part of those who try to decipher the context of Law 11!
We frequently scratch our heads here and try to determine if we actually understand what FIFA or the IFAB is telling us or is it only our opinion of what we think they are telling us, that we are in fact telling you! lol

The concept of playing the ball is one that remained UNDEFINED by FIFA however because (playing) often is in conjunction with the word ( touch) it seemed reasonable to assume that playing the ball could involve both touch and no touch.

Offside position is set into existence at that critical moment the ball is last touched by a team mate. Until recently there was a leniency to declare a miskick by a defender as a deflection or rebound because it was not clear possession and control. Recent video releases and the new wording has clouded that reasoning of late with a newer improved or speculative version of a deliberately played ball is sufficient to reset offside as the ball is no longer last touched (emphasis on the word touched) by a team mate if we transfer that ability to the opponent who is deliberately playing the ball and is now last touching the ball for his team mates.

Interestingly enough there is no special significance to the word touch, the ball merely has to make contact with a player! It makes absolutely no difference if the ball is touched on purpose with intent to do something or completely accidental. The player who last touches the ball is setting into play the offside criteria of position for the rest of his team.

Now the 3 exemptions where a touch by the opponents will NOT rest offside for the attacking team are a rebound, a deflection and or a deliberate save off their opposition. This applies to your question

We now have two new phrases (challenging an opponent) and (deliberately plays the ball) to contend with. At first they seem straightforward but as we delve into the 'what ifs' we still find hazy thoughts about what is or is not a definitive offside call under certain circumstances. I have to believe he biggest misconception within the context of gaining an advantage is what constitutes the difference between these three terms with regards to a mistake or a miskick
(a) - rebound = a ball that bounces back after striking a hard surface
(b) - deflection = a ball that alters it trajectory or being caused to change direction upon impact
(c) - deliberately played = a ball played with a conscious decision and realization of the consequences of action

Deliberately playing the ball involves a conscious act of a player whereby his making contact with the ball with his feet, head or body was the result of him initiating a sequence of events in a timely manner ! The position or movement of the feet or head does not necessarily mean that there is a deliberate motion! The referee must take the following into consideration: - the DISTANCE or SPACE in which the player has the TIME to react! If there is inadequate time to prepare for a fast incoming ball, if the player is unaware, if the space to react is not sufficient, if the distance versus the speed of the incoming allows no real way to deliberately do anything , these IMPACTs of the ball upon the player, will likely be determined as rebounds or deflections.

In these cases offside in your scenario.

To sum up,
it is not the touch itself, it is how that touch is viewed ITOOTR.
Was it a deliberate play by the defender?
If yes it resets offside for the opposition even if there is no clear controlled possession.
Yet there is a provisional aspect to this !
ONLY if the deliberate play was considered a deliberate save where the action was to prevent a goal from scoring is offside not reset.



Please view the interpretive video links below applicable to the changes in offside! They may help

The first one is a demonstration/teaching video supplied by FIFA!

The second one is a series of MLS videos of recent offside decisions that highlight current offside thinking

(1) FIFA http://garcia-aranda.com/offsideifab/eng001.html

(2) MLS http://www.proreferees.com/news-offside-videos.php
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Dan
There are three way for a player in an offside position to be called offside. The first way is to play the ball which in interfering with play. The second way is to challenge an opponent for the ball or interfere with an opponents line of sight to the ball. That is interfering with an opponent. The third and final way is by gaining an advantage by bring in that position which means playing a ball that rebounds deflects off the frame of the goal or an opponent.
A player cannot be offside if the ball us deliberately played to him by an opponent. In your description the player would be offside if the referee deems that the contact was a deflection.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

A mere deflection off a defender does NOT reset offside position. (It did before the law changed between 1974 and 1976!). A player who touches the ball after it rebounds off the equipment or deflects off an opponent is offside for gaining an advantage from an offside position.