Question Number: 30637

Law 11 - Offside 7/27/2016

RE: High School

Al of Glassboro, New Jersey USA asks...

OK...How do you decide whether to play on when the goalkeeper attempts to secure the soccer ball or call offsides when there is an obvious attacking player that meets the criteria for being offsides eminently close to the keeper? I had some coaches state to always play on to keep the flow of the game moving but yet when the keeper botches the catch and the the offside attacker kicks it in for a goal they complain you should have called offsides? Your Thoughts?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Al,
err on safety, as my colleague Ref McHugh states an indk out for what is likely to occur anyway is better than an uncertain injury. Look to see the body language IF you can OBVIOUSLY see the attacker pulling up or out only then consider advantage!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Al
Always a difficult one. The key is safety though and when the PIOP collides with the goalkeeper with the call being offside that will not sit well if either player is injured.
Some will be clear cut with the ball making it back safely so no need to call those. The tricky ones are the uncertain distance wise situations. I would say anything inside 5 /6 paces with no sign of the attacker easing his run should be called and my advice is err on the side of caution. An offside IDFK is here nor there in the overall context of the flow of the game.