Question Number: 15848

Law 11 - Offside 6/21/2007

Bill Sayre of Greenwood, SC USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 15819

Thanks for your good responses to my follow-up. I do think you were spot on to mention the CR could have stopped play before contact was made (assuming there was time) and that the attacker most likely did not know they were ineligible to play the ball.

There's something not quite "right" about the scenario posed by the AR, though. Two attackers and one keeper contending for the ball. The keeper has the ball in their possession and one attacker collides so as to result in an injury. I know I may be assuming or reading too much into the play, but it seems to me to be an unfair or even reckless challenge no matter how you judge the offside.

The way the writer described the play, I visualized both attackers bearing down hard on the keeper and creating contact in an effort to dislodge the ball. Again, maybe too much assumption. Of course, as a keeper in a former life, I could be a bit biased against the rabid attackers! ;-)

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Bill,
As in most situations we can have a better feel if we actually witness the event. The key points here in my opinion if an AR sees offside involvement he must raise the flag. The CR can choose to wave him off but in my opinion foolish to do so in the situation where contact is likely and retrieval of the ball doubtful.

I can agree with you if the keeper has position and or is in contact with the ball the attackers can not run into him to jar the ball loose or unfairly knock him away from getting to the ball. It certainly could be a DFK foul and cardable reckless or excessive as per the type and force used.

What I find disturbing is allowing a collision between an offside positioned player and the keeper or any opponent JUST because an onside attacker might have gotten to the ball fails to consider the safety of the players and the reality that there was an offside positioned player actually involved in the play!!. While the area of involvement is narrower now thanks to the wait and see policy being pushed it is not shrunk to zero in cases of interfering with an opponent!

If we had the onside player well ahead and he actually got to the ball before the collision then his team mate who was formerly offside positioned might or might not be offside assuming they were running to the ball in the same direction or coming at it front and back . Then the collision reads more to your way of thinking.

In my opinion while I like the wait for a physical touch if the ball is being pursued by onside and offside players. This is only for interfering with play or possibly gaining an avantage PROVIDED no opponent is interfered with by those offside positioned players in any challenge for the ball! or motion to try and get closer to play.

OFFSIDE positioned players must have no impact, running into the opposition certainly does qualify as having an impact!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Hi Bill. As I said in my answer to the question, if the challenge itself was careless or reckless it matters not who was offside or onside. If, as you are assuming, the keeper had the ball and the attackers were trying to dislodge it, this is obviously a foul. I thought the AR was describing a 50:50 challenge for the ball where, unfortunately, someone gets hurt but no foul occured. AGain, if the offside player was close enough to cause this he was certainly close enough to influence play and the flag should have been up and the CR should NOT have waved it down.