Question Number: 29715

Law 11 - Offside 9/18/2015

RE: Competive High School

Philip Scutts of Cottonwood Heights, UT United States asks...

A ball passed to a player in an offside position is deliberately handled by the second-to-last defender. What is the appropriate actions if: the ball simply drops in front of the defender, the ball reaches the feet of the offside player who shoots and scores, or the ball lands behind the defender but the offside player turns his back on the play and in the confusion a team mate comes from an onside position to score.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Philip,

The offside offence does not occur until the Player in the Offside Position (PIOP) becomes actively involved in play (eg touching the ball). So here, that has not occurred. The fact that his presence may have influenced the defender's actions is irrelevant.
So this means that the Deliberate Handling of the Ball (DHB) has occurred before the offside, so that's the offence we have to be concerned about.
Can we play advantage?
Applying advantage does not allow the team that has been infringed against to break the laws of the game to gain that advantage. So, we can't 'ignore' the offside to apply advantage. This is a bit different to a case where a player is tripped, stumbles, gains his feet then chooses to pass to a PIOP - in that case he's blown the advantage by making a bad decision. Here, the attacking team had no control over where the ball is going, no opportunity to make the most of an advantage. Don't forget that advantage equals possession plus opportunity - in your case, no attacking player has possession who can legally possess the ball, and there is no opportunity. So, no advantage.
So, whether the ball drops to the defender's feet or to the PIOP, award the free kick against the defender.
However, because there was no attacker who could legally play the ball, the defender will not be cautioned for USB nor sent off for DOGSO.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Phillip,
the new offside wording combined with the recent updates has CONFRMED that a player using his arms CAN NOT make a DELIBERATE save! ONLY the keeper within his OWN PA is capable of a deliberate save using the hands! ANY player though can make a LEGAL save using their body legs etc.. (just not the hands) to make a DELIBERATE SAVE!

This is important because under "gaining an advantage" a PIOP can ...NOT... legally play the ball off a deliberate save by an opponent! All such "SAVES are ruled as a rebounds or deflections which DO NOT reset offside for the opposition!

FIFA QUOTE LAW 11 advice and guidance
A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent, who
deliberately plays the ball (except from a deliberate save), is not considered
to have gained an advantage."
end quote

Circular no. 3
Zurich, 17 July 2015 SEC/2015-C051/bru
ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON LAW 11 – OFFSIDE
1. “Interfering with an opponent”
Clarification
In addition to the situations already outlined in the Laws of the Game, a player in an offside position shall also be penalised if he:
• clearly attempts to play a ball which is close to him when this action impacts on an opponent or
• makes an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball

Guidance
• ‘clearly attempts’ – this wording is designed to prevent a player who runs towards the ball from quite a long distance being penalised (unless he gets close to the ball).
• ‘close’ is important so that a player is not penalised when the ball goes clearly over his head or clearly in front of him.
• ‘impact’ applies to an opponent’s ability (or potential) to play the ball and will include situations where an opponent’s movement to play the ball is delayed, hindered or prevented by the offside player.

The FOUL of handles the ball deliberately is a law 12 penal foul and by its VERY definition is a deliberate action! Law 11 states in the additional guidance
(A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent, who
deliberately plays the ball is not considered to have gained an advantage.)

Law 5 allows a referee to apply advantage to any law rather than see an illegal action stop the opposition from a legal attack. The recent circular points out that a deliberate save must be made via legal means, in my personal opinion, it does not mean that handling the ball deliberately, does not qualify as a deliberate action to reset offside

Deliberate handling , while it is NOT considered as a proper save thus can not be counted as a deflection or rebound it ...DOES... reset offside as a deliberate play!
If it '''IS''' a true rebound or deflection off the arm/hand then it is... NOT... a foul and offside is ...NOT... reset!

Handles the ball deliberately ..IS.. a deliberate action.
..IF.. it occurs by the deliberate action of a defender who is not INTERFERED with or challenged by an offside opponent THAT is a DELIBERATE action and resets offside for the opposition should a referee choose to allow advantage!

IN all of your scenarios one ...might... allow play to continue rather than stop to card or award a free kick, if convinced, the offside player had not already IMPACTED the outcome of play before the deliberate handling occurs.

A key part of your question is establishing whether ...ANY... criteria off offside involvement had already occurred PRIOR to the deliberate handling action! What is the PIOP doing, how close, is he impacting play with his actions? I apply this same thought process to NFHS.
One is most likely go with the free kick and caution unless there is reason to apply the advantage, if, there is no INDFK offence for offside. If a goal results, as long as there was no offside involvement prior to the handling, the goal is valid. It would also alleviate any DOGSO that might have accompanied the handling. If there was an offside player waiting to play the ball ...THAT is not DOGSO... as an offside restricted player CAN NOT participate, only if say the DH prevented the ball from entering the goal.


Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Philip
Never an easy scenario and one that does not happen too often. The challenge for the referee crew will be A. Was it deliberate handling and B if it was not was it a deliberate play not a rebound or deflection.
If we look at the situation where a defender charges out towards the opponent and the ball makes contact with the defenders arm and deflects to the PIOP I believe If it is not handling the offside will be called in a NFHS game . If the ball deflects / rebounds to a player in an onside position there is no offence.
It is less certain in a USSF / FIFA game with the recent amendment to the advice on law 11. Now in the scenarios where the referee is certain that the defender has deliberately played the ball albeit illegally then the new advice tell us that the offside has been reset. That can always be a very difficult call as there is always going to be huge rebound, deflection for this to happen which without the handling will be called as offside. It is an easy call on paper. Not so easy when the ball cannons off an arm to a PIOP standing 10 yards offside and the referee tries to explain that it was deliberate handling which reset the blatant offside.

Answer provided by Referee Joe Manjone

Philip,

In both cases, the goal is scored and counted and the defender would be given a caution for deliberately handling the ball to stop an attack. There is no offside since the ball was last played by a defender. If the ball had deflected or rebounded from the defender, then an offside could have been called in the first situation but not in the second situation unless the offside player was interfering with play.

I hope that you have a successful season.

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

Hi Phillip,
As you can surmise, the answers by panel members reflect uncertainty to this particular offside quandary. This is because CLEAR instructions from NATIONAL associations have yet to make their way down the pipeline. I contacted both the FIFA referee committee and IFAB review committee and the consensus, at present, is the FOUL of deliberately handles the ball is a deliberate action which CAN reset offside for the opposition provided the PIOP was NOT impacting play by interfering with the opponent by challenging and or close proximity. The recent FIFA clarification on the circular was to point out the illegal use of a player's hands can not be declared a legitimate save. It DOES NOT mean it is not a deliberate action. It ONLY means that when a ball deflects or rebounds off the hands, ...IF... there is no deliberate action handling foul, there is no reset! Offside gaining an advantage will still apply to the PIOP as in ANY OTHER deflection or rebound off any other body part or a legal deliberate save redirection of the ball!
Cheers