Question Number: 29544

Law 11 - Offside 7/21/2015

RE: Youth to adult, comp and rec.

Barry Stewart of Chilliwack, BC Canada asks...

Is it sacrilegious to suggest that the game and the job of reffing would be simpler if there were no offside rule? It likely would lead to more offence, as well, which seems to be a FIFA theme.

At our drop-in games, we agree to take offside off the plate and the game flows more smoothly. It does tend to stretch the field, as the defence has to be mindful of the 'cherry pickers.'

To me, it really is the least important of all the Laws. I still call it, of course, but wish I didn't have to.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Barry
The on-going offside debate. You like many are now questioning the need for Law 11 in the modern game. When offside was first introduced it was to prevent players *sneaking* / *mooching* around the goal area and not running back onside to assist the team. The law was to prevent those players that did not retreat from participating in the game and to encourage them to get onside.
In the modern game the challenge is now how to prevent teams packing defences by bringing every single player back behind the ball. That has tightened up the space available to play in and has in my opinion removed dribbling from the game and made the game less attractive with fewer goal chances. Players are now faced with at least two opponents if not three so the only possible option is to go back or to pass sideways.
Personally I think there is a place for offside in the game not just in the present format. I would like to see a situation where offside will apply when the defending team push out with the ball to clear the defensive area. Any player left in there should be in an offside position. However once attacking and the ball is played from and in the opponents half offside should not apply. We now have the situations where a player is perhaps a yard away from a defender nearer to the goal line and the defending team get an IDFK on a pass from a team mate who is perhaps also yards away. That makes no sense to the game.

https://playtheadvantage.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/blown_offsides.png?w=763&h=280&crop=1
This goal was ruled out for offside because the AR thought that when Green 5 pushed out that White 11 was left in an offside position. IMHO that should not even be a consideration
Now IFAB the law making body has been extremely conservative in law changes and probably believes that it is protecting the history of the game. It also has to consider the way that the game has developed and it needs to come up with way of making the game more attractive. Preventing goal scoring chances such as pictured above makes no sense if one want to see an attacking game. If offside did not apply here then Green 5 would not have had the chance to play offside and patently should not anyway if we want to see a more open attacking game. In 2011 I had hoped that the 2014 FIFA Task Force chaired by Franz Beckenbauer would bring forward new thinking. Unfortunately that never happened and it was wound up in October 2012 with no progress albeit that it was muted that Offside had to change. The problem was that no suitable alternatives or suggestions were made other than the current Law 11 is too complicated.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Barry,
I love soccer probably more than most but hardly think of it as a religion. Mind you the behaviour of the mindless hooligans who do act as fanatical religious zealots does give one reason to suspect it might be!

Offside, in my opinion, is a necessary feature, as it would change the tactical approach of the game and not in a way that would benefit skilled ball control but rather tall people positioned in front of the keeper waiting for the long ball in.

In my personal and biased opinion the issue of offside is principally one where those officials just cannot seem to hold off calling offside UNLESS they are 100% sure it is in fact OFFSIDE!

I officiate as a single official quite often and the deal is unless 100% certain I allow play to continue. Standing around with your hand in the air asking to go to the bathroom is not a tactic I recommend when I officiate.
Too many worry that a dodgy goal that MIGHT have been offside is somehow a blight on the game. To me it is the reverse taking away perfectly good goals because those watching fail to grasp their eyes do not see correctly at the speed of play.

No matter the position one takes on the goal hungry appetite FIFA now seems to be feeding the public! There is a lot of useless dithering on a relatively simple format.

I suggest eliminate the need for anything except a physical touch of the ball. And ... ANY... physical touch of the ball resets offside for opposing team. NO rebounds, no deflections, no saves, no need to guess.

There is a infringement for impeding that still applies for incidents away from the ball if one was offside positioned and chooses to hassle an opponent. The standing in front of the keeper to block the line of sight could be broadened to incorporate that aspect.

Cheers