Question Number: 21110

Law 11 - Offside 4/9/2009

RE: Youth Under 19

Gordon Dillon of Whitburn, West Lothian United Kingdom asks...

If an attacking team attempt to play a pass through to a player who is in an off-side position, is the player deemed on-side if the ball hits a defender on the way through?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Gordon a deflection of the ball off a defender changes NOTHING of offside criteria for the opposition attackers. The offside infraction will be called and an INDFK out awarded.

For the offside phase to be reset for the attackers requires the defenders to have complete control and possession of the ball to take away the involvement restriction of the offside attackers!

Can you grasp that for a BRIEF time after a deflection that both sides COULD have offside personal restricted from active play at the same time?

While a deflection of the ball does not rescind the involvement restriction for the other team it does COUNT as touch for that PLAYER'S team mates and positional restrictions occurs for THAT team.
Just for fun I will reiterate a black hole event
-Blue #3 is offside just 5 yards inside the red half at the far touchline!
-2nd last red defender #9 standing just on the midline!
-There is a red #4 player in an offside postion who is down inside the blue penalty are towards the far touchline when a Blue clearance hammers the ball against the knee of 2nd last red defender #9 standing just on the midline!
-Ball deflects back into the blue half towards the far touchline
(Summary) At the time of the blue clearance blue # 3 was restricted from play!
When the ball rebounded off the knee of red #9 defender, red #4 player was restricted from play! BUT because it was a DEFLECTION blue #3 STILL cannot participate!
Blue #3 runs back into his own half mistakenly thinking it puts him bake onside when in fact it does not and he chases the ball.
Our late returning red #4 striker also chases the ball?
Question
If it looks like ONLY those two are in pursuit of the ball WHICH team gets the offside and WHERE does the indfk occur from??

good luck
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Yes, been that way since 1978!!!

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If the ball gets to the player that was in offside position when the ball was played by a teammate, and that player touches the ball, he is guilty of an offside offense by interfering with play. A deflection off an opponent does not reset offside. The opponent would have to control the ball.