Question Number: 29660

Law 11 - Offside 9/4/2015

RE: Volunteer Under 14

Simon of Saxmundham, UK asks...

Under the new FA rule for offside, it states an attacking player is penalised for being offside if he impacts the opponent's ability to play the ball.

Generally I get it and do think it clarifies the 'active' rule from last year. However, there's one scenario I'm not sure about.

Attacker A is standing out wide in an offside position.

Attacker B plays a lovely through ball from midfield at the precise time Defender A decides to run wide to mark Attacker A. The ball goes through the gap Defender A left and Attacker C runs onto it and scores.

Now, was Attacker A (out wide) impacting Defender A's ability to play the ball as he drew Defender A away from where the ball was and allowed the attack to take place?

Or, because Attacker A was away from where the ball was, is it just bad defending by Defender A and not to be penalised as offside?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Simon,
if the PIOP was out wide and was not CLOSE and was not challenging then the choice by the defender was a poor one. The PIOP must do something to inhibit the defender from being able to get to the ball, he is not a magnet drawing in the choices by the defenders'
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Simon
The referee has to answer yes to three questions under the new guidelines for offside to be called in these situations.
1. Is the player in an offside position close to the ball?
2. Does the player in an offside position attempt to play the ball?
3. Has the attempt to play the ball made an impact on an opponent?
In your scenario offside will not be called as the answer to 1 and 2 is NO. In respect of question 3 alone that was removed from offside when the wording deceives and distract was removed and even at that poor defending choices were not part of the offside consideration in recent years.