Question Number: 19060

Law 11 - Offside 5/12/2008

RE: 8 Under 13

frank of fairfield, ct usa asks...

This question is a follow up to question 19051

Mr. Dawson,

Your attempt at humor is only as good as your reading. As you can see, Ms. Maloney wrote the following:

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Law 11 says the indirect free kick will be taken from the place where the infringement occurred. So, you need to ask yourself where that player was when he went from being in an offside position to being involved and offside. It is at that point, spot on the field that the IDFK for the defense will/should be given - even if the flag was delayed to make sure there was involvement.


"where that player was WHEN HE WENT FROM being in an offside position to being involved and offside." This is clearly saying that the ball is NOT put down where the player was at the moment it was kicked to him rather at the point he became INVOLVED.

Who's smokin' what?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Right Frank, what you don't seem to understand is a player in an offside position is prohibited from interfering with play or an opponent or gaining advantage from that position from the moment the ball is touched or played by a colleague. What Ref Maloney wrote is not what you choose to understand.

Suffice to say the knowledgeable referee is going to place the ball fairly near where the player first became unable to participate. In all countries where there is knowledge of The Game this will occur and few will choose to argue it because that's what Law 11 states. In this country few of us learned The Game from our fathers and fewer still had offside explained on the kitchen table using chess pieces. There is simply no historical memory to fall back on. We argue based on myth and even though both you and Ref Maloney say the same thing you refuse to accept her way of saying it.

Please consider reading Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game 11.13 and take that as the policy of US Soccer, for that's what it is. We say the same thing, though in different ways.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

For any offside offence, the referee awards an indirect free kick to the
opposing team to be taken from the place where the infringement
occurred.

When an offside offence occurs, the referee awards an indirect free
kick to be taken from the position of the offending player when the
ball was last played to him by one of his team mates.

The infringment occurs when the pass is made to the offside positioned player, the involvement is a conclusion of the event because offside is delayed until the sound of the whistle and raised flag says it is completed. I suggested why I thought there was confusion it is because the infringment requires two parts and a player is only penalised if both occur.

You could have a point but so far you are the only one to date that has seen this as a clearly saying discrepency rather then a simple explanation. We know what the laws says and we read int he answer what we already know. If there is an issue it is ambigious more than clear. If you read the entire portion then the portion that states "even if the flag was delayed to make sure there was involvement" does not fit your conclusion, nor the part "where that player was" If you look at the context of the answer if it was infering only the involvment was the infringement then why add the rest?

Besides if there was any confusion surely there is none now!
By the way I don't smoke and yes I know my attempts at humour are at times a tad irritating. So come on guy laugh a bit, hard to referee without a sense of humour and the ability to agree to disagree and move on!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Law 11 says "from the place where the infringement occurred" which is further clarified for those with questioning minds in the newest Additional Instructions issued by FIFA (the USSF version will be out shortly, if not already online), under Law 11, where it says, and I quote: "When an offside offence occurs, the referee awards an indirect free kick to be taken from the position of the offending player when the ball was last played to him by one of his teammates." So, in summary, it is NOT where the player is when he gets involved, but where he was when his teammate last played the ball to him. I hope that settles it sufficiently for all?