Question Number: 30375

Law 11 - Offside 5/2/2016

RE: High School Varsity High School

Michael Heath of St. Peters, MO USA asks...

Question about a throw in and offside. I know a player cannot be penalized for being offside on a throw in. I was working a two man system at the high school level and the attacking team had throw in. When the ball was thrown in, it deflected off of a defender to an attacker in an offside position, who scored a goal. My colleague whistled the play offside, nullifying the goal. Needless to say the coach was incensed.

In reviewing the NFHS Handbook, I have not been able to determine if this is right or wrong.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
I could understand why the coach was incensed. This was not offside. A player cannot be offside from a throw in, corner kick or goal kick and the touch by the defender changed nothing. The last team mate of the PIOP to touch the ball was the thrower so from that throw in the no offside exemption continued until the ball was touched / played by another attacking player. There could not be any offside from the TI of a play / touch by the defending team after the throw.
I suspect your colleague either thought the touch was off an attacker to the PIOP in which case offside would then apply or he got confused by the word directly. A touch or a play by a defender does not change or nullify directly. It is the same as say a header / kick / deflection by a defender at a corner kick to a PIOP. That is not offside either and the same would apply to a goal kick.
Please put your colleague right on this.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Michael,
The easiest way to think about it is, for the purpose of offside, pretend it wasn't an attacker who took the throw. Thus, the player who received the ball is the 'first' touch. As there needs to be a second player involved, that first player cannot be penalised. After he receives the ball, you then need to look at what other players are doing to consider offside.