INTERFERING WITH AN OPPONENT

February 10, 2012 by Jim Allen

Question:
As many times as this has been debated in your forum, I am still unclear on a couple of special offside situations. The memorandum on offside seems to leave a few gray areas which raise havoc with teaching offside in the Entry-Level classes. What exactly does, “the actions of the (offside position) attacker influence the actions of a defender …” mean??

For example, a ball is played by an attacker from his/her own end that lands near the penalty area and bounces in the direction of the keeper. A second attacker, in an offside position near the halfway line when the ball was played, begins to run in the direction of the keeper. No other defenders beside the keeper are in the attacking end.

The AR does not signal offside and referee decides to allow the keeper to play the ball. However,the keeper mishandles the ball and it goes into the goal. What is/was the correct procedure for the AR and referee? Can it be assumed that the distant approach of the offside attacker induced the keeper to misplay the ball?

In the same situation, a second attacker running from an onside position joins his teammate in an approach to the keeper. This time the ball bounds away from the keeper and the onside attacker collects the ball and scores.

USSF answer (February 10, 2012):
This response of 29 September 2009 should suffice:
“The attacker is interfering with the opponents — both by drawing the opponent into a competition for the ball and by actively challenging the opponent while both are racing for the ball. Our thoughts? Pop that flag upon the very first indication that the attacker was acting to distract or deceive the opponent while in an offside position.”

However, if there is no interference, as in your first example of the goalkeeper far,far away and the attacker near the halfway line, let play develop until there is some sign of this interference. This also applies to the second scenario: If the player in the onside position is going for the ball and the player in the offside position is behind him, let it go until it is clear that the player in the offside position is interfering.

Two applicable position papers have been issued and are available on the USSF website:

1. August 24, 2005

Re: Law 11: Offside
IFAB advice on the application of Law 11, Decision 2

Date: August 24, 2005

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) revised Law 11 (Offside) effective 1 July 2005 by, among other things, incorporating definitions of what it means to • interfere with play,
• interfere with an opponent, and
• gain an advantage by being in an offside position.

The USSF Advice to Referees section of Memorandum 2005 ended its discussion of the addition of these three definitions by noting:

Referees are reminded that the reference to “playing or touching the ball” does not mean that an offside infraction cannot be called until an attacker in an offside position actually touches the ball.

Because of recent developments which appear to focus on “touching the ball,” there has been some confusion about the above statement. “Touching the ball”is not a requirement for calling an offside violation if the attacker is interfering with an opponent by making a movement or gesture which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts that opponent. What the International Board has recently emphasized is that, in the unlikely event an attacker in an offside position is not challenged by any opponent, the attacker should not be ruled offside unless and until the attacker physically touches the ball.
This emphasis is both simple and easily implemented:

• An attacker in an offside position who is not challenged by any opponent and not competing for the ball with a teammate coming from an onside position who could, in the opinion of the officiating team, get to the ball first should not be ruled offside for interfering with play or gaining an advantage unless that attacker actually touches the ball. In a close race between an onside and an offside attacker, it would be necessary to see which player touches the ball before deciding if an offside offense has occurred.

• An attacker in an offside position whose gestures or movements, in the opinion of the officiating team, cause an opponent to challenge for the ball has interfered with an opponent and should be ruled offside whether the attacker touches the ball or not.
The International Board issued a Circular on August 17, 2005, which reaffirmed the above approach. As the Board stated (emphasis added): “A player in an offside position may be penalized before playing or touching the ball if, in the opinion of the referee, no other teammate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball.” Further, “If an opponent becomes involved in the play and if, in the opinion of the referee, there is potential for physical contact, the player in the offside position shall be penalized for interfering with an opponent.” Finally, the Board confirmed the requirement that the indirect free kick restart for an offside offense is taken “from the initial place where the player was adjudged to be in an offside position.”

All referees, instructors, and assessors should review these guidelines carefully. It is important that officials understand and handle the offside offense in a correct, consistent, and realistic manner. Personal interpretations which differ from the approach outlined here can only cause confusion and hard feelings on the part of players, team officials, and spectators.
USSF will shortly distribute to the state associations and place on its website a PowerPoint presentation incorporating this clarification.

2. October 17, 2007

Subject: Offside Myths

Date: October 17, 2007

In response to the suggestion that there is “widespread confusionv regarding Law 11 (Offside), the allegation that referees are being inconsistent in applying the requirements of this Law, and the increasing use of phrases like “passive offside,” we would like to offer the following brief explanation to assist in understanding the meaning and application of Law 11.

There is no such thing as “active offside” or “passive offside” despite the common use of these terms, particularly by commentators. They are, at best, merely shorthand phrases coined for easy reference to the two central concepts in Law 11. Unfortunately, as with so many shorthand phrases, they often confuse rather than clarify what needs to be understood. In general, “passive offside” is used to identify an attacker who is in an offside position but not involved in active play, whereas “active offside” is intended to identify an attacker who has become actively involved in play while in an offside position.
Law 11 has two core threads- these are position and offence. The offside position, has a well-established meaning and its concept is clear:

• A player is in an offside position if he is nearer his opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent
• A player is not in an offside position if:
– He is in his own half of the field of play.
– He is level with the second last opponent.
– He is level with the last two opponents
• The judgment as to the offside position is determined at the moment the ball is played by a member of the playerÕs team.

Offside position is factual based on the relative positions of an attacker, the ball, the halfway line, and the second last opponent.
The offside offence is, by contrast, a matter of interpretation by the officiating team and, while the concepts are equally clear, some clarification as to how the officials reach their decision is offered:

• Being in an offside position is not an offence in itself.
• A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball is played or touched by a teammate, he is involved in the active play by interfering with the play, interfering with an opponent or gaining an advantage by being in that position.
• A player who receives the ball directly from a goal kick, throw in or a corner kick has not committed an offside offence.
• A player’s offside or onside position at the time the ball is touched or played by a teammate cannot be changed by any subsequent movement of the player, the opponents or the ball, so long as there has been no intervening play of the ball by an opponent. An offside or onside position is based on where the player is when the playerÕs teammate touches or plays the ball, not where the player becomes actively involved in play.

There must be a clear understanding that an offside position is decided based on a moment in time, when the ball is touched or played by a teammate, whereas the offside offence is judged from that moment onward. In other words, having in effect taken a snapshot of player positions and frozen their onside or offside positions at that moment, the officials must then judge whether players in offside positions become involved in active play. This involves weighing the direction and speed of the ball, the direction and speed of the player in an offside position, the direction and speed of any teammates coming from onside positions and the position and movement of any opponents relative to players in offside positions.

Although this sounds very complex and perhaps beyond the abilities of mortal men and women, in reality the decision-making process of a properly trained official is smooth and calculated to reach a correct interpretation of each situation. What is important to remember is that match officials take into consideration the whole playing scenario across the entire field from where the play started, factoring in the elapsed time, whereas many observers often only focus on a few players, over a short period of time, based on the direction of play and where it ends up.

How is the determination of “active involvement” made leading to a decision to penalize for offside?

“Interfering with play” means touching or playing the ball last touched or played by a teammate. In this context, touching and playing the ball are considered equivalent actions by the player. At a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on 11 August 2005, this point was clarified as follows: “A player in an offside position may be penalized before playing or touching the ball if, in the opinion of the referee, no other teammate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball.” This clarification means that the player could be penalized immediately rather than having to wait for a physical touch of the ball if, in the opinion of the referee, there was no teammate in an onside position who could compete for the ball. It follows that, if there were a teammate coming from an onside position who could play the ball legally, it would be necessary to wait to see which player actually got to the ball first.
“Interfering with an opponent” means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or movement, or by a gesture or movement which in the opinion of the referee deceives or distracts an opponent. We also have to remember that:

• Attackers clearly behind a defender do not interfere with them.
• Merely knowing that an opponent is in offside position does not justify a defender claiming that he was interfered with.
• An attacker raising his hand to signify no involvement does not, by itself, constitute an action which “deceives or distracts.” Indeed, in this context, there is no need for an attacker to signal “no involvement” as his involvement can be objectively determined by what he does, not by what he fails to do.
“Gaining an advantage by being in that position” means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a goalpost, crossbar, or an opponent, having been in an offside position when that phase of play began. In effect, this particular element is an extension of interfering with play, compounded by the rebound of the ball. In cases where this aspect of law is invoked, confusion sometimes arises from the fact that the attacker in an offside position would not have been penalized for offside if the ball had not rebound to him or her in this passage of play.

The approach taken by most match officials is to wait and see. In these circumstances it may appear that the official is late or slow in signaling the offence, but in reality he or she has taken all the evidence presented to him or her, applied the knowledge and understanding of the criteria and come to a balanced decision. This may have included the fact that the player was not initially involved in active play and therefore no signal was given. It is almost universally accepted that, if there is any doubt, then the balance of doubt is given to the attacker.
We have addressed the specific instances in separate correspondence. The purpose of this communication is solely to provide an extended discussion of the elements from Law 11 that we have applied in responding to requests for “rulings”regarding specific offside incidents. We also hope that you actively (rather than “passively”) discourage the use of the phrases “passive offside” and “active offside” as they are not part of the Law and only lead to confusion. If you have any points or queries you wish to raise on this paper, please do not hesitate to contact us.

…

Indoor

FUTSAL RULE

January 27, 2012 by Jim Allen

Question:
In futsal, it is illegal to tackle an opponent. This seems kind of broad to me. Tackling is the act of dispossessing an opponent of the ball. So, if a player takes the ball away from an opponent, without any contact, would this be illegal?

USSF answer (January 27, 2012):
That portion of futsal rules changed 2 years ago. It is generally like outdoor soccer, the difference being that in futsal contact with an opponent before contact with the ball is not allowed unless the referee feels the contact was inadvertent when both were playing for the ball. An outdoor-style shoulder charge is a no no. The same standards of careless, reckless, or use of excessive force are applied as in outdoor soccer.…

"Inventive" Refs

INJURED DEFENDER AT OFFSIDE SITUATION

January 27, 2012 by Jim Allen

Question:
I was having an argument with a referee friend and the question at hand was: if the second last defender of red team is lying on the field due to an injury or slipping(legs closer to his goal line, if it makes any difference) and an attacker from the blue team receives the ball from his team-mate being behind the third-last defender but not after the second-last which is still lying on the ground, is it an off-side? He said it would be, because the defender on the grass is injured so he does not count.

USSF answer (January 27, 2012):
The Law does not discriminate between players on their feet and those on the ground. The defender lying on the ground would count as one of the opposing players in the offside situation. However, if the player who received the pass was not beyond the second-last opponent, then he was not offside.…

Guide to Procedures

AR PROCEDURE

January 27, 2012 by Jim Allen

Question:
What is the correct procedure for the lead AR who has called a foul in the penalty area on the defending team? We have hours of discussion on this subject and cannot find anything in the procedures book that gives us the details.

One position is this. The AR calls the foul with his flag in his right hand waves and then after making eye contact with the center runs to the corner area, to get ready for the PK.

Another is: The AR calls the foul with the flag is is Right hand, makes eye contact, then points in the direction of the foul and then makes a run to the corner area to indicate a PK.

Another is: the above but instead of running the corner, the AR runs directly to the area between the 6 and the 18? Not necessary for him to point direction.

What is USSF position on this subject?

USSF answer (January 27, 2012):
We are not certain where the problem lies. The procedure outlined in the Guide to Procedures, p. 37 (p. 38 in the PDF version), should work fine:

Assistant Referee
• Determines that the direct free kick foul by a defender inside the penalty area was not seen by the referee and that, per the pregame conference, the referee would likely have stopped play for the foul if it had been seen
• Signals with a flag straight up
• Upon making eye contact with the referee, gives the flag a slight wave
• If referee stops game, assistant referee first indicates penalty kick by holding flag across the lower body and then begins walking toward the corner flag
• Takes the appropriate position either for the penalty kick if confirmed by the referee or for the next phase of play if the referee orders a different restart

In addition, the AR should always signal with the flag in the hand that indicates direction (if necessary) or, in cases not involving direction, in the hand that gives the referee and the AR a good line of visual communication.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

PENALTY KICK CONUNDRUM

January 21, 2012 by Jim Allen

Question:
Let’s call A1 and A2 two players of Team A. A1 runs towards the opponents’ goal, but he is fouled inside the penalty area. The referee awards a penalty kick to Team A, but A1 is compelled to leave the field of play because of an injury due to the foul. He cannot return the field of play until the penalty kick is taken (‘An injured player may only return to the field of play after the match has restarted’, Law 5, Injured players).

A2 is going to take the penalty, and the referee blows his whistle.

Before the ball is in play, A1 commits an offence (e.g. strikes the assistant referee, uses an abusive language or throws an object to a substitute/substituted player of Team B), while remaining outside the field of play.

Now, A2 kicks the ball, but the goalkeeper catches it. So, according to Law 14 (an infringement committed by a teammate of the kicker), since a goal has not been scored, referee has to stop play, and an indirect free kick from the place where the infringement occurred has to be awarded to the opposing team.

But since the offence occurred outside the field of play:
1) Where has the indirect free kick to be taken from?
2) Does the IFK become a dropped ball from the penalty mark, since the offence occurred outside the field of play?

USSF answer (January 21, 2012):
Law 14 tells us:

Procedure
• After the players have taken positions in accordance with this Law, the referee signals for the penalty kick to be taken

Infringements and sanctions
If the referee gives the signal for a penalty kick to be taken and, before the ball is in play, one of the following occurs:
…
a team-mate of the player taking the kick infringes the Laws of the Game:
• the referee allows the kick to be taken
• if the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken
• if the ball does not enter the goal, the referee stops play and the match is
restarted with an indirect free kick to the defending team from the place where the infringement occurred

However, because the infringement occurred off the field of play there is no choice allowed by Law if the answer is to be determined by Law 14. Therefore another choice must be made to solve this conundrum.

The scenario says that A1 commits an offense “before the ball is in play” and thus the offense has occurred during a stoppage and so, despite the signal to start, play did not start… Therefore the referee must treat the kick as if it had not occurred. In this case the referee makes the decision to stop play for the offense which took place before the kick has been taken Deal with whatever A1 did (if this involves a red card, Team A plays down because A1 was a player of record, even though off the field, at the time), and then start with the original penalty kick (not a retake).…

Law 10 - Scoring

DOES THE GOAL COUNT?

January 16, 2012 by Jim Allen

Question:
I was watching a clip of a professional men’s match when the following occurred. Team A attacked Team B’s goal, and missed, with the ball being shot into the hands of team B’s goalkeeper. The team A shooter’s momentum carried him off the field of play to the right of team B’s goal.

Team B’s ‘keeper carried the ball out to about his 12 yard line and put the ball down to kick it upfield, whereupon the team A shooter who had left the field of play “snuck” up behind the ‘keeper, and stole the ball, dribbled once, and scored. The goal stood.

My question is related to whether or not the scorer was eligible to even re-enter the field of play without the referee’s permission.

Clearly, his leaving the field of play resulted in a tactical advantage, although he did not originally leave the field intentionally. Does the goal count?

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
Because the shooter left the field during the course of play through his momentum, he does not need the permission of the referee to return to the field. The goalkeeper was “punished” for his lack of shortsightedness in losing track of where the opposing player was. Score the goal.…

"Inventive" Refs

BALL IN THE AIR AT “FINAL WHISTLE”

January 16, 2012 by Jim Allen

Question:
When is the referee authority end? Does it end as soon as he whistles the end of the game? We had a game when the referee blew his whistle 3 times to signify the end of the game while a ball was still in the air. After the whistle was blown, the girls stop playing and the ball continued into the net. The referee then signified no goal and then changed it to a goal. The tournament head referee said it was a bad call, but upheld the goal. So how can that be if the referee duties and authority are over as soon as he blows the whistle.

Can he then change his mind, but he doesn’t have any authority at that point. Nonetheless that the call shouldn’t have been a goal since he indicated the game was over. His excuse was he accidently blew his whistle. You don’t accidently blow your whistle three times. Just looking for some clarification.

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
This is not a case of the referee’s authority — which ends when he has left the environs of the field, not as soon as the final whistle is blown. Rather , it is a case of poor refereeing and a particularly uninformed decision by the “tournament head referee.”

By tradition, custom, and practice, the referee’s whistle brings the game to a complete and immediate halt, whether the period of play is over or not. If the ball is in the air at that moment, life is hard, but no goal can be scored, no matter that the whistle was blown “accidentally.”…

Law 18 - Common Sense

SUSPEND OR ABANDON A MATCH?

January 16, 2012 by Jim Allen

Question:
I was watching a Girls U14 match (11v11 on a full-sized field with 35 min halves) that started late due to bad weather. With about 15 minutes to go in the game, it was almost too dark for me (standing on the sidelines around midfield) to see either goalkeeper — it was nighttime (no longer “dusk” or “twilight”). I was there because I had friends with daughters on BOTH teams.

Some of the parents of both teams were asking me if we could switch to a nearby lighted field (within the soccer complex). I responded that in this situation, I felt the Laws of the Game only allow for a match the be suspended, abandoned or terminated. I also stated that I saw no reason that switching fields would violate the laws of the game.

In my opinion, the referee should have abandoned the game (but in this game, I was just a spectator with a referee license). I was not going to criticize HIS decision to the parents, but I did say if I were the referee, I’d abandon the game and restart from the beginning OR have used prudence and NOT started the game that late.

Since suspending the game is only “temporary,” I considered “over-night” to be too long to be “temporary.” I felt the match should be abandoned and restarted FROM THE BEGINNING on a later date.

Since the score was 2-1, I didn’t think the coaches would agree to an early “termination.”

This was a D-1 “league game,” not part of a tournament.

Questions: 1a) Could the referee have suspended the game and CONTINUED FROM THE POINT HE STOPPED THE GAME in the morning or on some other day?

1b) If it is resumed from where the referee stopped play, does the same referee crew have to finish the game or can they be replaced by different personnel?

2) Could the referee have suspended the game and moved to the nearby lighted field?

3) How long is “too long” for a “suspension” of a game? My thought is a 3-4 hours at the most and then the game should be “abandoned.”

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
“Suspension” is not an option in this case. Although we see matches stopped and delayed for light failure at lighted stadiums, under the Law the referee may suspend the match only for any infringements of the Laws (at his discretion) or because because of outside interference of any kind, not for weather or lighting conditions (including darkness).

Therefore, depending on the rules of the competition, the referee could decide to delay, postpone or terminate the match. In the event of poor light , it may be possible to commence or continue the game after a suitable delay at another field if the rules of the competition do not forbid it and the owner of the field will permit it. In some circumstances, it will be obvious that the game will not commence or restart.

Because of the initial delay due to bad weather, the best solution would have been for the referee to speak to both teams prior to the beginning of the match and suggest that the halves be shortened. If the teams did not agree, then the match would have been postponed to another time/date and the competition authority would have to deal with it. The refree’s job is to do what is best for the game, not for him- or herself.…

"Inventive" Refs

PURPOSELY KNEELING OR LYING DOWN TO SCORE A GOAL

January 16, 2012 by Jim Allen

Question:
There is a huge discussion on SOCREF about a goal that was scored as follows: The attacker beats the keeper and dribbles toward an open goal; then stops the ball, goes to the ground and with his head rolls the ball into the goal. The question is, if the referee deems this action a misconduct (USB), can the goal be allowed since it preceded the ball entering the goal? In other words, can the referee allow the goal but caution the player after the goal is scored? Some senior referees believe that the goal ought to be allowed. If that is true, then I am at a loss as to why such a goal is allowed even though the culprit violated LAW12 *before* the ball entered the goal.

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
We first answered this question back on September 19, 2001, when it was posted on the very same SOCREF-L to stop another “huge discussion.” Here is the correct answer to the question:

Please try to understand how the Laws of the Game work, particularly with regard to infringements of Law 12. The final bullet point under Law 12, Indirect Free Kick states:

• commits any other offense, not previously mentioned in Law 12, for which play is stopped to caution or dismiss a player

The indirect free kick is taken from where the offense occurred (see Law 13 – Position of Free Kick).

The player who gets down on his hands and knees and heads the ball into the opponents’ goal is taunting them and committing unsporting behavior. There is no other possible (rational) explanation for such behavior, and the only course of action open to you is to stop play, caution and show the yellow card. The restart is as described in Law 12.

Play ceases immediately a player commits such an offense, which, in the case we are considering, is unsporting behavior for his taunting of the opposing team. Therefore, no goal has been scored, nor can it be scored, because the offense was committed before the ball entered the goal.

This information comes to us from the International F. A. Board, the folks who write the Laws of the Game. No matter how “unfair” some people may think it may be, it is the Law, and there is no way, creative or otherwise, around it. Play ceases as soon as you, the referee, have made the decision that an infringement has occurred, whether or not you have signaled that decision to the world. If you choose not to make that decision in this case, then you are violating both the letter and the spirit of the Law.…

"Only in America!"

COLORED WHISTLES

January 16, 2012 by Jim Allen

Question:
I was attending the Association Cup Quarter Finals yesterday and in the pregame to officials, our State Youth Referee Administrator instructed us that he better not catch us using colored whistles. He further elaborated that only black whistles are to be used and if he any of the referee were to use anything but BLACK whistles we would not be working for him again. I simply have two questions. One is, does USSF support such comments and secondly does the State association or in this case, SYRA has the power to instruct the referees with this sort of demands?

USSF answer (January 16, 2012):
The Federation has no requirement that whistles be of any particular color; however, the traditional color for plastic whistles used by referees is black. Your SYRA would have a hard time enforcing such a requirement for referees who use metal whistles. However, at an independently-sponsored tournament the director could insist on this.…