Question:
I was an AR in a three man system game last week. Several players try to score-clear in the goal area. During the play, an attacking player kicks ball into the goal (2 feet over the goal line, but did not touch the net) and was kicked back to the field by a defense player. I was on the goal line and clear see what happened, but no whistle. I try to make eye contact with referee but he was not face to me. I put the flag straight up and hold. As the players shout “flag”, the referee whistled. I lowed down my flag and immediately run up on the touch line. As I run, the referee puts up his hand up and indicates the offside. As I sew his hand, I use my other hand point to the center. He then changed his hand and point to the center and goal was award. My question is how can we avoid this
USSF answer (October 23, 2008):
Such problems can be easily avoided through good communication between the referee and the assistant referees. The best way to bring this about is to cover such things in the pregame conference among the officials, where all communication should be discussed. The correct procedures are outlined in the USSF publication “Guide to Procedures for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials.”
What you did was correct. What the referee did was wrong: (a) The referee must look first to the AR and (b) there is no way that dropping the flag and moving up field should be interpreted as an offside decision.
