Question Number: 30778

9/18/2016

RE: Competitive Adult

NICHOLAS JOHN TIPPLES of Cardiff, South Glamorgan Wales,U.K. asks...

WHY ARE ASSISTANT REFEREES GIVING OFFSIDE WHEN A PLAYERS FOOT,ARM OR HEAD EVEN IS IN FRONT OF THE OPPOSITION......SOME DECISIONS ARE RIDICULOUS........YET THEIR DECISIONS ARE NEVER QUESTIONED.....WHY???

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Nicholas
Being an AR is extremely difficult. Officials do not have access to technology, freeze frame, action replay and they make the best decision they can in the circumstances.
Now poor decisions are questioned by the referee observer at the game and ARs who consistently under perform can be demoted. BTW there has to be top quality performances to get to the highest level in the first place.
Just as a little exercise. Do this test and see how many you get correct
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7K_Hl5Y6lSI
Final point I would make is that football has resisted the use of technology for many years. There is a trial underway to introduce video replayed in certain circumstances. Video Assistant Referees will be able to assist referees in future should the trial be successful and implemented.
http://quality.fifa.com/en/var/
One would suspect that an offside that results in a goal could be ruled out. It will not work the other way should play be stopped for the offside.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Nicholas,
Which player's foot/arm/head is in front? Are you complaining that the attacker is simply only a head in front? If so, offside is then correct - offside is considered against any part of the body that can legally play the ball (so, anything except the arms).
Are you complaining that it's the defender keeping the attacker on by simply a head or foot? If so, what are you basing this decision on?
TV replays often try to pinpoint the moment of offside. Often this is incorrect - even a fraction of a second off can change a decision. Even when this is correct, the camera used is rarely in line.
There is typically a digitally constructed line to show offside - but the resolution of the camera here isn't enough to show close decisions. Often the feet will be on line, but it's impossible to tell, simply due to angle and resolution, whether the players is leaning forwards enough to influence the decision. The line is typically drawn from the feet only.
So I see a lot of people complaining online about incorrect decisions, when realistically from the TV angle it's impossible to see it down to the detail of several inches - and sometimes as an AR you are able to see when there are simply inches in it.
There are human limitations. AR's are trying to look directly at ALL player's potentially in an offside position while simultaneously looking at the ball and keeping an eye on other players and the referee. Sometimes when the ball is, say, close to the line on the AR's left and the potential offside players are on the far line it's impossible to view both at once. In doing so the AR is trying to keep EXACTLY in line with players who are moving and changing speed very quickly - and all that taken into consideration, there are still physiological limits on how fast an individual can identify and process multiple sources of information. This is where technology, implemented properly, may be able to help.
A fairly typical scenario is when the attacker, in an onside position, is sprinting for the goal and the 2nd last line of defence is sprinting back upfield trying to catch the player offside, and the ball is played at the same moment those 2 players are crossing each other. I'd argue it's almost impossible to get the decision consistently correct if the players are that close - simply due to human limitations. If you think that's simply an excuse then I challenge you to pick up a flag yourself and try it.
If you need to rely on a digital line, and freeze frames back,forwards, back,forwards to identify a very, very close incorrect offside decision then that has to simply be one of those decisions down to human limitation. They're people, not computers.
Of course I'll also point out that a LOT of people - especially commentators - don't understand some of the intricacies of determining offside, and this is probably worse these days when the new laws make it much easier for defenders to 'reset' offside.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Nicholas,

Assistant Referees give offside when a player's head or foot is closer to the opponents goal than the both the ball and the second last opponent (and the other criteria are met) because that's what the law says. However, they don't give it if only the hand or arm is involved - once again, this is in accord with the law.

The actual wording is as follows:

'A player is in an offside position if:
[...]
• any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent

The hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered.'

One other point, please don't use all capital letters in your questions, in terms of Internet etiquette, that is considered to be shouting and can be seen as rude.

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

See Question: 30786