Question Number: 18164

Mechanics 12/21/2007

RE: Adult

Melvin Hagerman of Colorado Springs, Colorado U.S.A. asks...

When can or does a referee "override" the AR's flag for offside--in other words, the referee calls "play-on" instead of what seems to be the automatic call (AR's flag goes up for offside and referee blows whistle)?

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Whenever the referee feels appropriate to do so. In a good crew - that is experienced working together...it should not happen a lot as the credibility of both go down when the referee does this.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

If the referee were ignoring offside - he shouldn't yell out "play on" as that is an indication advantage has been given. Instead, he should simply wave down the AR's flag in a discrete way.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Remember that when the AR raises her flag, she is indicating to the referee that she sees someone in an offside position who appears to have become involved in play. As my colleagues note, when we work with a familiar and experienced crew, the chances of a wave down are slim. The whole reason for a crew of three is to have more eyes on the play, and each has specific assigned duties. The referee may see something the AR could not - for instance, the ball was played by a defender back toward the goal from within a crowd of players. If it goes to an attacking player in an offside position, the AR will have to raise their flag because they can't know who touched it last, but they must give the referee the information that the player who received it was in an offside position before receiving the ball and thus appears to be offside. The referee in such a case will give a thumbs up for the AR's indication, and a slight wave down motion with the hand, which says I saw something which changes the OS call. That happens rarely in a game, or at least it should.

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

See Question: 26409