Question Number: 29355

Law 11 - Offside 4/25/2015

RE: Intermediate Under 13

Phil of Tarzana, CA United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 29349

The discussion raises a question. As Referee Dennis Wickham pointed out, a save is a deliberate play on a ball shot toward goal. However, suppose the ball is crossed through the penalty area. A defender attempts to clear it by either a header or a kick. If the ball glances off this deliberate attempt, would this reset offside?

I would think it would. Almost any attempt to clear the ball inside the penalty area might be a save. Only if a defender had control or made a bad pass when challenged by an onside attacker would offside be reset, wouldn't it?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Phil
Your question raises an important point. What is a save? I would contend that a save is a play that stops the ball going towards or entering the goal or preventing the ball getting to an opponent who is about to score. Trying to stop a cross that is going away from goal can be considered a save when it tries to prevent the ball getting to an opponent. Yes there can be doubtful ones that are say going wide yet that would be still viewed as a save if made in the save context / situation.
The context in which it was raised by IFAB who stated that the previous wording of Law 11 which stated that that a PIOP playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position was offside. In some countries a save was seen as a deliberate play not a rebound and a reset. The current text it said is more in line with actual game situations and will eliminate the confusion regarding what is meant by rebound, deflection and when the ball has been deliberately saved. Saved is understood to mean what it says which is to stop the ball entering the goal.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Phil.
I have asked my colleagues to come up with a criteria as to what defines a ...save... versus a deliberate save ever since the rewrite of the portion of offside which states a DELIBERATE SAVE (ie..thus a deliberate play) does not exempt the offside! In talking with FIFA instructors, both those on the review committe and developmemt committee and to some extent my own colleagues is the opinion, We all know what a save is!, each referee will make that decision for each incident! LOL

It reflects a window of uncertainty, in my opinion, in that almost any action undertaken by the keeper in reguards to his efforts are MORE in keeping with a deliberate save even if the ball is not DIRECTLY entering the goal. If a defender attempts to clear or head a ball away out in front of goal if there are others in behind or a keeper in behind I can not see where this effort is a ... deliberate save... rather than a deliberate play unless I was 100% convinced that ball was headed into the back of goal. Even then, as to how far out this takes place I still might see it as a deliberate play?

A ball cleared off the goal line in between the posts and from under the crossbar by the last defender back, there is every reason to see this as a deliberate save and deliberate play at the same thus no offside reset.

Recently in a proffesional match, a defender deliberately handled the ball preventing a goal which went to an offside player who scored. The goal should NOT have been allowed because it was deliberately saved despite the fact it was deliberately played and advantage can be applied to the foul. The ball WOULD have entered the goal directly albeit for the handling. If the ball was not going to enter the goal and the deliberate handling only stopped an attack or cross even if there were attackers who MIGHT have had a good chance to head or chest or kick that ball in and the ball flight altered we would not call this a deliberate save but a deliberate play and as deliberate handling is a foul advantage COULD apply and an offside player could legally score.

A keeper who comes out to push away a cross that might not be going directly into the goal but towards an attacker's head that could have resulted in a goal is in my opinion a deliberate save. If he spils that ball to an offside attacker I will call offside. That is what keepers are responsible for, saving goal and shot opportunities. A shot at goal going wide or high is STILL a save, if it misses by an millimeter or a yard or two. How is the keeper to know? The DOGSO criteria we can rule out if the ball would miss the goal but it is not the defining characteristics of a save that the ball would definately enter the goal if the action taken did not prevent it! A cross into the middle of the PA challenged by attackers, the keeper in my opinion is involved by deliberately playing those balls he is saving the shot opportunity. The fact the other defenders can not use their hands to do so, only kick or head creates a divergenve in how one could view their actions only as a clearence which may not be a save! It is WHY I think we value the terminiology of ITOOTR! In these cases where when the keeper spills the ball off a deliberate save we will apply offside, in cases where defenders deliberately play a ball that if it was a keeper we might judge them differently.

This is NOT to say that a keeper deliberately playing a ball with his hands is automatically a save! If you recall the last WC with the German keeper coming out to punch the ball away from the Argentinian attacker, that, in my opinion, was NOT a save! Although it could be ruled a different foul than the one called, in my opinion. In any event if that deliberately played ball had gone to an offside Argentinian instead of out into touch, I would not stop play, for offside anyway!! lol

Cheers