Question Number: 4915

Law 11 - Offside

RE: Rec Under 16

Mike Pollack of Santa Barbara, CA USA asks...

Law 11 - Offside.A forward and two defenders exit the field while playing the ball. The ball stays in and is cleared up field by another defender. With only the goalie in the goalie area and the three players still on the ground just beyond the goal line, the ball is played up toward the goal again. The forward goes back on the field after the ball is touched last by his own team, gets the ball and scores. What is the restart?..Does the restart change depending on whether the defenders that were on the ground get up prior to the kick or not?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Mike in most cases this would probably called offside and an indirect free kick given the defense. I don't think that would be a correct decision and I'll try to explain my thinking...A player may leave the field, without penalty, during a play for the ball. If more than one is off during that play it is the same thing. You state that three are off during a play for the ball that remains on the field and is cleared up field by another defender. Right, let's look to Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game paragraphs 11.8 through 11.11. The 11.8 and 11.9 speak of an attacker leaving to avoid offside, your attacker went off in a play for the ball and he is permitted to. 11.10 describes a defender stepping off to place an opponent in an offside position, your defenders went off in a play for the ball and they are permitted to do so. Paragraph 11.11 addresses a defender legally off the field and states the referee is to treat the defender(s) as if he were on the goal line nearest his off-field position. I?ll make the assumption that the attacker?s position is to be treated the same, in other words on the goal line. If all three players are to be treated as if they were on the goal line then they are level, are they not? ..When the ball is next touched or played by a colleague of the attacking player, off the field, judgement of offside position becomes necessary, so at that moment ask these three questions:..1. Is the player in the attacking half of the field? -- Yes..2. Is the player nearer the goal line than the ball? -- Yes..3. Is the player nearer the goal line than any two defenders? -- The answer here is no, correct?..If any question is answered no, stop here. The player is not in an offside position...If all are answered yes, then the player is in an offside position, ask two more questions:..a. Is the player interfering with play or an opponent?.b. Is the player gaining an advantage?..If either of these is true then the assistant flags for offside and the referee blows for the infraction and awards an indirect free kick, to be taken from where the attacker was at the moment the ball was touched or played by a member of his own team...So given these thoughts I would award a goal to the attacker who was on the goal line, with the two defenders, and not offside. The restart would be a kick off. ..If this were to happen there would be a rather heated discussion using very short words...Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Fredrikssonk

This is clearly a valid goal. The players may exit the FOP if playing for the ball and because all three players have left the FOP at the goal line, they are considered level, and the attacker is not in an offside position. The restart is a kick off. To your second question, yes the restarts changes to an IDFK to the defending team (offside) and no goal, if the attacker is put in an offside position.

Answer provided by Referee Victor Matheson

In the previous question, I think my colleague is simply saying that if the defenders get up and get back onto the field before the ball is played to the attacker (who is still off the field) then the attacker is offside at the moment the ball is played. To summarize both of my colleagues, with respect to offside, if a player is off the field of play, he is treated as if he is on the line nearest to where he is. This applies to attackers and defenders and applies whether the players are standing, running, sitting down, or lying down. In the situation you descibe, the attacker is not offside since he is officially even with the last two defenders (since all three players are considered to be standing on the goal line) at the moment the ball was played.