Question Number: 21578

Law 11 - Offside 6/22/2009

RE: High School High School

James of Gulf Breeze, FL USA asks...

This past weekend I had a high school soccer game and there was an interesting offside offense that occurred. Here is the situation:

The opposing team played the ball back to the keeper, and I sprinted toward the goalie to try to intercept the pass. Well, the goalie cleared the ball to a defender (I now am in offside position), who then immediately turned around to boot the ball out. But upon kicking the ball, one of my team-mates got a foot on his clearance and the ball flew in my direction, where I was still in ten feet from me (in an onside position), and had a good chance to play the ball as well. I began moving toward the ball, but then realized I was offside. I immediately stopped moving, and never made contact with the ball.

However, the assistant referee raised his flag.

Law 11 states that 'interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate.' I never touched the ball, and the team-mate who passed the ball in my direction did have an
'opportunity to play the ball.' (Appendix 3)

Therefore, I would presume that no offside offense occurred.
Please provide me your opinion.


Thank you for answering all of my questions! It has really helped me as a referee as well.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

If you never became involved, offside should not have been called.

NFHS rules might vary slightly from FIFA/USSF because there have been some recent clarifications from IFAB and USSF. However, the principles remain the same.

You didn't get to the ball, thus you were not involved by participating in play. (*)

You didn't receive the ball on a rebound off goal or opponent, so you didn't gain an advantage as it is narrowly defined in Law 3.

The only other way to become involved is if you interfered with an opponent. This could have happened if you got between an opponent and the ball, or blocked an opponent's view of the ball (especially the goalkeeper).

(*) - Note: While touching the ball is normally required to be called offside for participating in play, there is an exception. If the offside positioned player is the only one going for the ball and the only attacker who has a chance at getting the ball, offside may be called early. This would be to avoid a possible collision (interfering with opponent) or to avoid having everyone run yards down the field only to have play stop when the attacker finally reaches the ball (interfering with play).

So we have 3 possibilities:
1) You interfered with an opponent, even inadvertently, so offside
2) You were the only attacker able to get to the ball so the AR flagged you now for offside
3) The AR flagged early, and you should have not been called offside.
Only the referee and AR who saw play develop can answer which choice was made. We can't say, but it could have been a mistake.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If, in the opinion of the AR or referee, you interfered with an opponent, you would be guilty of offside. From what you describe, the flag should have stayed down.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Good job on realizing you were offside! The touch of the ball by the team?mate even if accidental does indeed start the positional (look and see) where the rest of the team-mates are criteria! We are loath to criticize a colleague for events unseen! While no referee is perfect to pass judgement on an opinion of an event unseen is rather pertinacious
There is still, even at the elite level, this idea that position itself is enough. While there is REASON to award an offside if an offside positioned player is the only one going for the ball and the only attacker who has a chance at getting the ball not so on balls that cannot be realistically played before interference with an opponent will occur or the ball is likely to travel out of play! I watched the England versus German u-21 today to see an offside awarded for a ball that COULD not be played since it was travelling too fast and over into touch behind the goal line. It is a mistake to think the offside player in pursuit is affecting the ball in ANY fashion with true involvement. This should be a goal kick instead we have INDFK at 25 yards out, perhaps because the AR felt this restart was advantageous, that however is NOT a reason to award the offside! The flag should be kept down and ONLY raised IF the involvement occurred.

In your scenario if there was an onside team mate also in pursuit of the ball you were not the only attacker with opportunity to play the ball thus we must wait for a physical touch of the ball. I assume given your description of the events you feel you did not interfere with an opponent? I reiterate this at every opportunity but the thoughts and the actions of opponents play NO part in an offside decision. Too many referees feel if the defender reacts to an offside positioned player that is interference. This is a MYTH! The KEY is WHAT did the attacking offside positioned player DO??? We do not reward mistakes by the defenders created because their attempt to play the ball is poor or a decision to cover an offside positioned opponent creates space. The interference is CAUSED by the ATTACKER'S ACTIONS NOT the reaction of the defender!

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

It sounds like an early, thus incorrect, flag to me. If you were running for the ball and there wasn't an onside teammate who could've gotten there first *or going to be reached by a defender without immediately being challenged by you) - or there wasn't a chance of it going out first - then we can flag before you get a touch on it.

Similarly, if you and the keeper are both running for the ball, it's going to be close, and there isn't another onside attacker with a chance of getting it then many referees will stop that early to prevent the collision with the keeper (which often leads to injuries or aggression) - though this is really up to the ref on the day. However, you weren't moving so none of that applies to you, so it sounds like the AR was just a little too jumpy.