Category: Law 11 – Offside

Law 11 – Offside

Law 11 - Offside

OFFSIDE ERROR?

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Question:
During a recent U18 girls’ match, I was an AR. Blue’s attacker was in an offside position about 5 yards past mid field. The ball is played in her direction as she is breaking toward the ball which is played past her by about 10-15 yards. Seeing no other blue players moving toward the ball, I raised the flag for offside. Just as I raised the flag, the attacker stopped going toward the ball, and another blue attacker, clearly not in an offside position breaks toward the ball. The center had not seen my flag yet, so I contemplated dropping the flag, but he noticed it and blew the whistle. I took a lot of grief from the blue team’s coach. In the split second it happened, I believed that the attacker had made a play for the ball and that defenders were also making a play toward the ball, so I had made the right decision. Also in that decision is that the second attacker (in the onside position) did not make a play for the ball until after the ball was played. Later, I was thinking that the player in the offside position did not prevent defenders from playing the ball, so I should have held the flag and use the “wait and see” principle”. Your input is appreciated.

USSF answer (October 29, 2009):
The USSF memorandum of March 25, 2009, “confirms that ‘interfering with play’ cannot be decided unless the attacker in an offside position makes contact with the ball.” We would recommend that the assistant referee wait before signaling for offside in such cases. If a player in an offside position is going to be charged with being involved in active play by interfering with play, he has to touch the ball. If during the time he is NOT interfering with play he manages to interfere with an opponent by ACTING (not simply standing) in such a way as to block the path or line of sight of, deceive, or distract an opponent, then he is just as guilty of offside as if he had touched the ball — but not until that time. …

"Inventive Coaches"

SILLY OFFSIDE TACTIC

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Question:
In a game recent the opponents other than the goal keeper crossed onto our side of the field. One of our players than moved forward to thier side of the field from our side. Since our player could not be offsides while on our side, and the defenders are not on thier side, is our player than offside because the defense has vacated thier side of the field? If he is offside, then that means that a defense merely needs to move all the way into the opponent area, play thier fastest players and everyone who goes pass them must then be offside?

USSF answer (October 20, 2009):
Of course your red player was in an offside position, but not necessarily offside. For your player to be considered offside, he or she would have to have become involved in play. In any case, the red attacker is absolutely prevented from becoming involved in active play, but every other red player is free to make any play possible for the ball, and any particularly fast red player would have a field day.

Believe us, if the strategy you propose actually worked, teams would use it all the time. Do you ever see it used? No, because it does not work. And there is no such thing as “offsides.”…

"Inventive Instructors"

WHAT CONSTITUTES A DEFENDER “PLAYING” THE BALL?

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Question:
HS Referee’s meeting tonight this spirited debate occurred.

Offensive Player A shot on goal, Offense Player B is in the offside position (not in the play), The shot is saved by the Goalkeeper who attempts to deflect the ball over the bar, the goalkeeper deflects the ball but the ball rebounds off the crossbar to you guessed it Player B in the offside position, who puts it in the goal.

Is the player offside or does the goal stand? The debate surrounded DEFLECTION OR POSSESSION? THAT IS THE QUESTION referring to a similar scenario response date (October 29, 2007). Those who stated they thought the goal should stand believe the goalkeeper was Playing the ball” in these circumstances means that the defender (in this case the goalkeeper) possessed and controlled the ball the others thought it should fall under not being possessed and controlled (in other words a deflection). Thanks, we all appreciate your assistance with this matter.

USSF answer (October 6, 2009):
The U. S. Soccer Federation sees no reason to change its answer of October 29, 2007:

“Deflections by any opposing player do not affect the status of a player in an offside position; the attacking team’s player must be called offside if he or she becomes involved in play (as defined in Law 11). Unsuccessfully ‘making a play’ for the ball does not establish possession. Nor, for that matter, does successfully ‘making a play’ for the ball if it then deflects to the player in the offside position who becomes involved in play.

“Note that there are differences here between ‘being involved in play,’ ‘playing the ball,’ and ‘making a play’ for the ball. (As noted above, see Law 11 for involvement in play.) ‘Playing the ball’ in these circumstances means that the defender (in this case the goalkeeper) possessed and controlled the ball. However, if the defender possessed and controlled the ball badly, it’s still ‘making a play,’ but if it wasn’t possessed and controlled, it wasn’t played in the sense you suggested in your scenario.

“A rule: Being able to use the ball subsequent to contact equals possession; deflection is not possession.”

To this we might add only that it takes seeing the action to make the call correctly, because, as you discovered, the very words used to describe the event are biased toward one or the other possibility…

"Inventive" Refs

INTERFERING WITH PLAY VS. INTERFERING WITH AN OPPONENT

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Question:
More Law 11 Interpretation Craziness?! I was the AR on a U16 Boys Division 1 game this weekend where I made an offside call against the attacking team. I did not get any complaints from the coaches or players but another more seasoned referee with many years under his belt told me after the game that I made the call premature.

The Setup: The Attacker started off in an offside position on the opponent’s half of the field before the ball is passed.

The Action: The ball is passed up over the head of both the defender and the offside attacker. The attacker slows his run marginally to let the ball drop over his head and as he does so the defender catches up to him. They are now shoulder to shoulder racing for the ball.

The ball is now about four yards away from the two shoulder bumping opponents who are racing for the ball. The attacker appears to me to have the advantage in position to obtain the ball and there are no other attacking players within 30 feet of the ball. So I figure it is a no brainer and I throw up the flag and do not bother to wait for the attacker to touch the ball. I justify this by saying to myself that the offside attacker made a play for the ball and at the same time interfered with play by jostling for position with the defender. I am sure I made the right call when I did and that there was no reason to wait for the attacker to touch the ball.

The other more seasoned referee told me that I should still wait until the attacker actually touches the ball before I throw up the flag. I don’t think it matters as the attacker was clearly offside and interfering with play.

What are your thoughts?

USSF answer (September 29, 2009):
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.…

Law 11 - Offside

INTERFERING WITH PLAY?

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Question:
OFFSIDE Relative to Memo of March 29, 2009

Please comment on the following thank you.

I understand the emphasis USSF is putting on the offside player actually touching the ball (to be guilty of ‘interferes with play’) before the AR raises the flag, or it is “clear no other attacker will play the ball”. Since that touch might occur many yards, (could be 30-40 yards) downfield from where the offside player was when the ball was played by his teammate.

Is this the correct mechanic?

1. The AR should follow the ball/second to last defender until a player in offside position is determined to be offside (by touching the ball or interfering with a defender.)

2. The AR raises the flag, and after the referee whistles, lowers the flag to the appropriate angle to indicate near, mid or far location.

3. The AR lowers the flag and moves quickly up to the touchline to indicate the location of the restart (where the player in offside position was located when the ball originally was touched or played by a teammate).

USSF answer (September 2, 2009):
That is correct.…

"Inventive" Refs

DEFENDER LEAVING THE FIELD (A TWIST)

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Question:
A very interesting answer on Aug 20 re offside off the field of play.

I wondered at the wording IFAB put into the ILGGR this year to cover the ITA-NED game in 2008. (To cover something that IFAB thought “everybody knew”, but evidently was only found in documentation from USSF and the Austrian FA.) Specifically, that the player would be considered to be off the field until the next stoppage of play.

Would the Aug 20 answer change any if the defender who went over the touchline off the field went *closer* to his goal line? He could thereby entice an attacking player to go closer to the goal into an offside position (which remains at the fixed point of his departure).

There has been a question on AR mechanics – does he stay in position at the departure point? I suspect yes. But then another question if the defender is on the far side of the field from the AR, how does the AR know that the defender left the field? Also, how far “off” is “off”? – is it like other offside positions, that the arms and hands don’t count, but head torso and legs do, so if the toe is still on the line the defender is still on the field?

I guess all the above really isn’t a question per se, but I do have one question though; neither the Law Change memo nor the Aug 20 answer specifically states. Is it presumed that the defender who goes off the field stays off the field until the next stoppage? And if so and he returns, what happens then.

USSF answer (August 21, 2009):
The sense of the IFAB’s new wording in the Interpretations of the Laws of the Game and Guidance for Referees (ILGGR) is that, for offside purposes, the player shall be considered to be on the touchline or goal line until the next stoppage in play. If the defending player returns to the field of play without the referee’s permission before the next stoppage of play and, in the opinion of the referee, thereby influences play, the defending player must be cautioned for unsporting behavior. If the referee stops play to administer the caution, the restart is an indirect free kick for the attacking team at the place where the ball was when play was stopped.

During this action, the AR stays with the second-to-last defender (taking into account the defender off the field), NOT level with where the defender left the field.  These places may turn out to be one and the same place if the defender left across a touch line but would NOT be the same if the defender went off the field across the goal line (unless TWO defenders went off the field!).…

"Inventive" Refs

POSITION OF PLAYER WHO HAS LEFT THE FIELD

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Question:
Regarding the recent IFAB/USSF memorandum about Defenders Leaving the Field of Play:

A fellow referee recently told me that we should interpret the memo to mean that if the defender leaves the field along one of the touchlines, for the purpose of attempting to put an attacker in an offside position, that we should judge his position to be the point on the touchline where he/she actually left the field — not necessarily the closest point on the touchline to where the player actually is at the moment the AR has to judge offside position. What the ref is telling me seems like the fair thing to do, but I don’t see that wording in the memorandum. And it could make a big difference.

Example: The second-to-last defender leaves the field of play over a touchline some 20 yards out from the endline. The third-to-last defender is 30 yards out from the endline and on the field of play.

While play continues, the second-to-last defender who is now off the field of play begins to walk up the field, but off the field, away from his team’s own endline. He makes it to a point off the field that is 35 yards from the endline in an effort to make the teammate at 30 yards the new second-to-last. Now, an attacker, who has made it to the 25 yard mark becomes actively involved in play from a pass by a teammate who was farther from the goal they are attacking when it was passed. Offside or not? According to the memorandum, it seems yes.

According to the fellow referee I mentioned above – no.

Am I missing something?

USSF answer (August 20, 2009):
The defender who leaves the field in the normal course of play or in an attempt to make an attacker be in an offside position is to be treated as on the field at the point on the goal line or touchline closest to where the defender left.  

So, you ask, what happens if the defender moves while off the field, just as in your example?  For offside purposes, the player who has left the field over the touchline remains at the spot where he or she left. The same holds true if the player leaves the field across the goal line near the far post and, while the same play is continuing, comes around the far corner and is off the field (still) but now several yards up from the goal line.  In that case, too, the player remains “on the goal line closest to where he left the field” for purposes of determining the second to last defender.  In other words, the player’s movement while off the field makes no difference.…

"Inventive" Refs

DETERMINING INVOLVEMENT FOR OFFSIDE

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Question:
This question concerns becoming involved in play in determining an offside infraction:

U15 boys game, attacking team is highly skilled. A pass is made by an attacking player to a team mate in the offside position. The ball actually passes between the legs of the offside player who turned toward the ball as it passed. The AR determined that a ball that close to a skilled player caused the player to be involved in the play, although he did not in fact touch the ball before it was touched by a team mate who came to the ball from an on-side position, and signified the offside infraction. Whether the player in the offside position misplayed the ball by being nutmegged by his team mate or whether he intentional dummied the ball is speculation. Had this been a ball played to open space with both an offside an onside player going for the ball, then clearly when the onside player first touched the ball no infraction would have occurred. Is it however reasonable for a referee to be of the opinion that this player was involved in play and be guilty of the offside infraction in this situation?

USSF answer (August 17, 2009):
If the player in the offside position did not interfere with the ability of an opponent to play or see the ball and did not draw undue attention from an opponent, then that player has not become involved in play. In that case, the assistant referee should have kept the flag down, and the referee should not have called offside. We recommend that the AR wait and see what happens.…

Law 11 - Offside

JUDGING OFFSIDE POSITION WHEN A PLAYER LEAVES THE FIELD

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Question:
In connection with Memorandum 2009 on www.ussoccer.com Law 11, where should an assistant referee stand in order to judge the offside position if a defending player leaves the field of play over the touch line on the opposite side of the assistant referee (the AR can not know what is the place where the defender left the field)?

USSF answer (August 13, 2009):
Memorandum 2009’s treatment of Law 11 (Offside) has been updated in a position paper published August 12, 2009:

QUOTE

Subject: When Defenders Leave the Field

Date: August 12, 2009

A more definitive interpretation of Law 11 (Offside) was circulated this year by the International Board as part of its annual notice of Law changes and clarifications. This has led to some discussion among referees, players, and coaches regarding how this interpretation should be implemented in different game situations involving a defender leaving the field during play across the goal line or touch line. The following scenarios should be considered:

– During the normal course of play. The critical issue is whether, in the opinion of the referee, the defender’s action was a normal part of play. For example, the defender left briefly to get around an opponent or the defender’s momentum necessarily resulted in crossing the goal line or touchline. In this case, no violation has occurred and the defender is expected to return to the field without undue delay. The permission of the referee is not required.

– Attempting to create an offside situation. If, in the opinion of the referee, the defender left the field with the intention of placing an attacker in an apparent offside position (by changing the determination of which teammates are the last and second to last defenders), this is a violation of the Law and a form of misconduct (leaving the field without the permission of the referee). However, play should normally be allowed to continue but the defender off the field is considered to be on the closest point of the boundary line for purposes of determining an attacker’s offside position. Thus, if the defender on the field closest to the goal line is the goalkeeper standing a few feet from the goal line and the defender left the field across the goal line, that defender is, in effect, considered to be on the goal line as the last defender and the goalkeeper has become the second to last defender.

– Misconduct. When a defender has committed misconduct by leaving the field in an attempt to place an attacker in an offside position, the referee’s normal course of action is to allow play to continue but to caution the defender when the ball goes next out of play. However, it is not necessary to wait for the ball to leave the field. The next stoppage of play could occur in a number of ways – a foul or a serious injury or the expiration of time, for example. The referee could also whistle to stop play solely because the attacking team no longer controls the ball (e.g., a shot on goal by the attacker is saved and held by the goalkeeper). In this case, the stoppage is due solely to misconduct by a player off the field: after showing the yellow card, the restart would be an indirect free kick for the opposing team where the ball was when play was stopped by the referee.

We believe that this position paper will resolve many questions for referees and ARs. As to what the AR should do, we recommend that the assistant referee continue to remain even with the second-to-last defender or the ball, whichever is nearer to the goal.  The only thing that changes when a defender leaves the field is the determination as to WHICH defender is second to last.  If the defender left the field farther away from the goal than the second-to-last defender, then the defender off the field is not taken into account at all, either in determining the second-to-last defender or in where the AR should be.…

Interpretations/IFAB

INTERFERING WITH PLAY (THE FINAL ANSWER)

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Question:
I’m sure you’ve seen this and I’m sure someone somewhere has said something to the Federation, but in Interpretations it absolutely positively says you don’t have to wait for contact with the ball to put up the flag for interfering with play if you think no onside player has a chance to play the ball. This, of course, is in direct contradiction to the 3/29 memo which is just as clear that you DO have to wait until contact is made with the ball.

So we seem to have a clear case of USSF policy contradicting LOTG. Do you have any idea what is going on?

USSF answer (July 8, 2009):
The intent of the language associated with diagram 4 under the interpretations for Law 11 —

A player in an offside position (A) may be penalized before playing or touching the ball, if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball.

— is the IFAB’s typically roundabout way of saying precisely what we have always said in this regard; namely, that the race between an attacker in an offside position and one or more attackers in an onside position can only be resolved by seeing which one gets to the ball first and touches it. In the absence of any onside position attacker who is judged clearly unable to get to the ball before any of his onside position teammates, the offside offense may be called. This is NOT the same situation as when a ball is played toward an attacker in an offside position attacker and the only way to tell if that attacker will interfere with play is to see if that attacker touches the ball. In the absence of touching the ball, we cannot make any inference that the attacker could or might interfere with play because he or she could, right on up to the last moment, not touch the ball.

NOTE: In other words, there is no contradiction of the March 29, 2009, position paper.

Further, even if this is taken as a digression from the IFAB interpretation, this would not be either the first nor the only place where such a divergence has occurred. We remain, for example, at odds with the interpretations on such other matters as the AR’s signal for blatant goalkeeper movement at a penalty kick and whether a player who is off the field to correct an equipment problem can return to the field while the ball is in play (assuming the referee has given permission and the responsibility for checking if the correction has been made was delegated to the AR or 4th official).…