Question Number: 30272

Law 11 - Offside 4/9/2016

RE: N/A Other

Peter Grove of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire United Kingdom asks...

This question is a follow up to question 30263

The incident being referred to occurred in the 74th minute of the game, or 29 mins 7 secs into the video referenced below.

In this case (although it is admittedly, debatable) I think the refereeing team were just about right to call this a deflection rather than a deliberate play.

I'd be interested to hear your opinions on it though.

https://youtu.be/xgoRylxkXdw?t=1747

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Peter
Thanks for this. This question was asked in #30263 and I could not find a video of the incident.
This is a very debateable offside under the current Law 11. In old money it was certainly offside yet Law 11 as you know is much changed since those days.
UEFA tells us in its advice on deliberate play that if the player is moving towards the ball, the ball is expected, it is a deliberate act, there is enough time to play the ball , the player is balanced and ready, the ball is properly played (the quality of the play does not matter) then that is considered a reset.
In this instance I believe the Colombian defender could meets all the requirements of that deliberate play reset advice. In a game context it is not so easy determining at speed a play or a deflection.
Now the second question is did Press, the PIOP, interfere with an opponent and the advice has changed here as well. The PIOP is certainly not in the line of sight of the defender and she does not challenge the defender until after the ball is played albeit poorly. In fact she moves away from the player at the moment the ball is contacted by the defender.
IMO technically this goal could have stood under the current guidelines.
Now for those that consider this a deflection UEFA poses the following criteria. The ball is moving towards the player, the player finds the ball coming against her, an instinctive attempt to play, not enough time to play the ball, has to find balance first and the ball deflects from the player. This does not come anywhere close on the actions of the Colombian defender here yet that is with the benefit of video replay.
I think that at 6-0 it was a soft decision in favour of Colombia. I think that in the PL this could easily be play on.
Now IFAB I believe is on the cusp of new advice and a new booklet and website is proposed for May which is eagerly awaited. It us understood that Law 11 may be made more clearer.
Here are dome more videos to ponder over.
http://garcia-aranda.com/offsideifab/esp004video008.html
https://vimeo.com/105993087
https://vimeo.com/105997090
Two were not called offside while one was. The one that was called was IMO a deliberate play. Old habits die hard.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Peter ,
I am on the side of the officials in this one! Press was offside, the ball was played to her, the defender INSTINCTIVELY REACTED to intercept. Press was right there to challenge when the 2nd defender tried to clear thus she has intefered with an opponent. Good decision by the officials in my opinion! This is offside and is in my opinion, clearly not a deliberate play despite what others chose to think. The ball comes to the player, no player will ever get out of the way and let the ball go by, there will always be a motion by the player as that is an instinctive movement. The question is whether it is an action or a reaction. I hold the opinion, this is a reaction versus a clear action where the player has time, space, goes to the ball, has control of the body, is not reacting and is a very deliberate movement to play the ball. Good decision by the crew.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

Hello Peter,
hmm if panel colleagues are in disagreement over an opinion as to what constitutes a deliberate play it perhaps indicates that offside understanding is not yet achieved across the lands! I will say this , every referee is entitled to their opinions as a fact of play, they can not be disputed. I will point out that the officials of that particular match were supported in their decision to find the soft offside as some infer from a deflection versus a deliberate play. I do take the time to review and contact others up the chain including FIFA assessors who review matches for issues such as this. The fact others might choose a different outcome indicates clarity is yet to be achieved. Remember we offer only an opinion ,it is not our Match nor our Decision if but our reputation is enhanced or diminished by our claims we all stand behind each other in the truth and integrity of our points of view

from our pitch to your pitch in the spirit of fairplay

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 30280