Question Number: 24931

Law 11 - Offside 5/12/2011

RE: Select Under 16

Chase of Hamilton, OH USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 24457

What is the call if a defender has control of the ball, then clears it but it bounces off his teammate and the ball lands at the feet of a attacker who is in an offside position and scores? The goal would be good correct? Because he did not receive the ball from his teammate. Would it be the same call if the ball bounces of an attacker?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

When a defender (opponent) has control of the ball, offside only applies for that team. The original attacking team would have no offside considerations.

However, if the ball so much as brushes against an attacker, offside does apply again.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Chase
A player cannot be offside when he receives the ball from an opponent who had the ball under control. So in the 1st scenario there is no offside and the goal is awarded.
In the 2nd scenario it is offside as the ball was last touched by a team mate. Even if the touch is inadvertent it makes no difference when it is off a team mate.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Chase, don't mean to sound harsh but I would strongly suggest you look at the Law 11 Offside paper Chuck Fleischer wrote and published on our main page. Your questions are very basic and you absolutely have to obtain a more firm understanding of Law 11 if you are working Select level games at U16. When I took my certification course eons ago, the instructor teaching Law 11 did such a horrendous job that it was years before those of us unfortunate enough to have taken the course when and where we did had any idea what Law 11 meant. I was so grossly uninformed that I told a U10 parent that I viewed offside kind of like traveling in basketball! I also mistakenly used offside, no 's', for position and offsideS for the offense.

I only bring this up to let you know that you're not the only USSF certified referee that did not get decent instruction. It's no wonder so many spectators/players/coaches are confused by offside seeing as how many of our referees are simply not being taught well.

So, please don't take offense. You are correct that offside is judged only when the ball is last touched or played by a teammate. Also understand that offside resets anytime the ball merely glances off a teammate but an opponent must control the ball before offside resets. This concept becomes very important when a ball is played to an offside positioned teammate and glances off an opponent before getting to the offside attacker. This does NOT reset offside yet far too many referees will allow the offside attacker to play the ball.

Thanks for writing