Question Number: 13366

Law 16 - Goal Kick 7/18/2006

RE: select Under 12

chris of romulus, ny usa asks...

This question is a follow up to question 12008

On a goal kick taken by team A, the foward from team A received the ball from the goal kick while he was in an offside position, and then scored a goal. However it appeared that the ball glanced off the head of the defender from team B just prior to the forward receiving. Was the forward offside?

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

No. No offside on a goal kick. If it would have glanced off the head of an attacker, then he could have been offside.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Chris, Law 11 - Offside clearly states there can be no offside offense if the ball is received directly from a goal kick or a corner kick or a throw-in. Further Law 11 - Offside clearly states the moment to judge the activity of players in offside positions is at the moment the ball is touched or is played by one of his own team. There is no mention of the ball glancing off of an opponent anywhere in the Law, that was removed in 1978.

So, to answer your question: the player is in an offside position but commits no offside offense and is free to play the ball and score a goal.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Take the defender out of the equation. Why? Because offside is judged when the ball is played or touched by a teammate. The wording of Law 11 may be confusing you when it says if the ball is "directly" received on a goal kick. That simply means it hasn't touched another teammate!

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Chris,
There is no offside position established on the initial goal kick as it is one of the three stated exceptions in law! THe other two of course are te corner kick and throw -in.

The deflection of the ball off an opponent does not reset the offside either for or against an offside positioned player. In this case as the goal scorer was exempt from offside it matters not.

IF this was a free kick then the goal scorer COULD NOT be in an offside position at the taking of the kick, if he was, he is NOT exempt, but again the deflection off an opponent would change nothing he is still offside if he WAS offside at the time of the free kick.

If he moved into an offside position AFTER the ball was kicked (using the time the ball is travelling to change his position) then the deflection off his opponent again would change nothing he is NOT offside!.

There is a fundemental distinction in that ANY touch of the ball be it a deflection off a TEAMMATE sets up offside positional criteria but a DEFLECTION of the ball off an OPPONENT sets up nothing what was there, stays there!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

You cannot ever be penalized for being in the offside position and then actively involving yourself in play when it was last played by your teammate as a goal kick. A deflection off the opponant does not negate this fact. :)

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 13587