Question Number: 28896

Law 11 - Offside 10/24/2014

RE: Competitive Under 14

Greg of Ventura, Californai USA asks...

Thanks for your replies. I like, and previously didn't fully appreciate, the distinction between only the offiside player having a chance to play the ball, and the possibility of an onside player getting to the ball before the offside player.

I must stay that the wording in the laws still seem innecessarily confusing. I understand all of the points you made, but in the definitions for Law 11 it states (emphasis mine): 'interfering with an opponent" means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or CHALLENGING AN OPPONENT FOR THE BALL' I guess that came directly from FIFA Circular 1362.

How is racing from an offside position trying to beat a defender to the ball not 'challenging an opponent for the ball'?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Greg
It will depend on the circumstance. If you look at Diagram 3 in the Interpretation and Guidelines for Referees section of the Laws of the Game you will see that it says that an attacker in an offside position (A) runs towards the ball and a team-mate in an onside position (B) also runs towards the ball and plays it. (A) cannot be penalised because he did not touch the ball.
Now A has to do something more such as interfering with an opponent which involves a challenge or preventing the defender from playing the ball. Running towards the ball on its own is not interfering. The player has to do something more and when he does the offside can be called..
Now we know as well that in the very next diagram No 4 that a player in an offside position (A) may be penalised before playing or touching the ball, if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball. So the lone running player in an offside position along side a defender who is most definitely going to play the ball or challenge for the ball can and should be called offside without touching the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

As mentioned when there is but one offside opponent in the mix an earlier flag is not out of the question.
The difficulty in challenging for the ball definitions is if you look at the examples by FIFA and the recent MLS USSF, players are very close to one another but not close enough in the opinion of FIFA as to DIRECTLY inhibit the ability to play the ball uncontested. Notice I used words like impede, shielded and playing distance (about two strides away at the speed of play) these all reflect the CLOSE proximity to where it actually affects the play.
The exception to this is in gaining an advantage where the line of sight plays a role and the distances involved be greater than what constitutes normal playing distance.
If you recall the old LOTG used the words seeking to gain an advantage so it is true with challenging for the ball. It is in fact what players do all game long! LOL Cheers