Question Number: 29897

Law 11 - Offside 11/8/2015

RE: Select Under 11

Me of Vancouver, WA USA asks...

There were 2 players in offside positions. The ball was shot at goal from onside. Keeper reached and caught ball then dropped it and it rolled and was kicked into goal. Coach says it was an offside offense. Ref says when keeper played the ball it moved the offside line up to where he is. Coach says keeper is not a player in regard to offside but ref says he is.

Who is right? Is this an offside offense?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
The answer depends on whether the goalkeeper had clear possession of the ball through a clean catch and then dropped the ball or whether he dropped the ball was part of the save. If the ball was dropped as part of the save then any player in an offside position at the moment of the shout may not participate in subsequent play and should a PIOP do so it is offside for gaining an advantage by being in that position.
Now at Under 11 I would be erring on the side of the ball being dropped as part of the save certainly if it happened almost immediately after the save was made in which case there is no offside reset.
As regards the goalkeepers participation in offside he is a player like every other player. The one scenario that refers to goalkeepers more than any other player is that he is more likely to make saves than an outfield player. 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.
If this play was a save then it is offside. If it is not a save then it is a reset.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hard to say without seeing it unfold but the referee made a decision and as a fact of play it stands as the only decision that matters.
It sounds as if neither the coach or the referee fully grasp offside is a two part criteria based assessment where offside position is determined and then the case is made whether there is involvement by the PIOPs.

The keeper is a player as are the other 21 players on the field and as such he is treated no different, When considering the offside for the attacking opposition as a defending keeper he is MOST often likely to be the last opponent by virtue of his position in goal although that is not a guarantee as he is capable of moving anywhere on the field of play.

The LOTG state that ANY player including the keeper (who could use his hands inside his own PA) who makes a deliberate SAVE, even if it is a deliberate play(that elsewhere on the field would reset offside) does NOT reset the offside for the opponents . It is treated as a rebound or deflection and if an offside attacker was to play the ball an INDFK is awarded for gaining an advantage. The offside line determined by the location of the 2nd last opponent or ball has in fact NOT YET been altered since the initial shot was taken.

For the offside restriction to be lifted from the two attacking PIOPS the keeper would have to hold onto the ball and gain clear uncontested possession of the ball before deliberately releasing it back into play. You do not mention how the ball or who kicked the ball into the goal? I only assume it was one of the 2 PIOPs?

In deciphering the reach up caught and drop rendition of the ball by the keeper it sounds more of a save then a parry or a release. The referee if claiming the offside line has moved is not really explaining this well as in fact no offside exists at all if the ball has been released back into play and last touched by the keeper. Any attacker anywhere on the field is free to play that ball. If the ball is deemed played as a deliberate save then those attackers that were offside at the time of the last attacking touch /shot remain restricted unable to participate .
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

No where in your description do I read whether or not one of those players who had been in an offside position participated in play. You say the goalkeeper dropped the ball and it rolled into the goal. Not that one of the attackers kicked it into the goal. So unless one of those attackers was close enough to interfere with the keeper's ability to get the ball, there was no offside offense. Interference in this situation is usually by blocking the keeper's sight of the ball.

The coach is wrong about one thing - the goalkeeper is included in determining offside. Law 11 says the line is defined by the 2nd to last opponent. OK, usually the keeper is the last opponent, but not always.