Question Number: 31105

Law 11 - Offside 12/12/2016

RE: SPFL Professional

Scott of Glasgow , Uk asks...

In the recent Rangers v Hearts match at Ibrox on 10 Dec, was the decision to disallow a goal for Hearts consistent with Law 11? The Hearts player had stepped off of the pitch and then returned to the field of play without permission before turning the ball into the net.

https://youtu.be/JkxAkBPF0U0 The move starts at 40 seconds.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Scott,
in my opinion the LOTG regarding offside were applied as the AR saw fit!!
Players are not held to the punishment of exiting or returning to the FOP UNLESS it is deliberate action. This appeared to be more due to momentum and I believe there is NO issue with his return, that though is my opinion only! The issue, by my opinion only, HIS location at the moment of the last touch of the ball by the team mate who passes him the ball. He looked slightly closer to the goal line than the 2nd last opponent at the moment the ball was last touched by his team mate plain and simple.

If that is what the AR saw, then the offside call is valid. The attackers' brief exit merely put him on the goal line as it were, where momentarily, he WAS off the FOP . His return put him where he was on the field of play.

If you think he was placed on the goal line BECAUSE he left the FOP and thus was declared offside due to that fact he will REMAIN as on the goal line. IF, in the mind of the AR it was a deliberate movement, the AR would also be correct to declare him offside.

We do not dispute judgement calls or seek to undermine official decisions. However, my opinion, here at asktheref.com we try to stick to factual LOTG analysis rather than seek to know the mindset of officials. They, like us, know the LOTG and base all their decisions on such. What they see from a certain angle. in real time we rarely try to armchair differently. We seek to provide the explanation of the LOTG, perhaps an explanation of how a decision might be reached not cast judgement.
Cheers & Merry Christmas

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Scott,
I would say the decision was consistent with Law 11.

Also, I wouldn't actually characterise this player's actions as leaving and/or entering the field without the referee's permission (both of which are cautionable infringements). The Laws tell us that:

''A player who crosses a boundary line as part of a playing movement, does not commit an infringement.''

For me, the fact that the player left and re-entered the field is not really the main issue here, it's simply whether he was in an offside position at the time the ball was played to him by a team mate. Whether you judge it based on his actual position at that point in time or use the interpretation that would put him on the end line for the purposes of offside due to having left the field, it appears from the video that he was offside in either case. So in my opinion the correct decision was made by the officials.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Scott
The AR gets one go at this in real time and the question he has to consider was whether the scorer was in an offside position at the moment of the cross. It certainly looks like a real possibility and the AR is well placed to see the situation unfold.
The scorer had been slightly off the field of play which as part of play is not an issue. However I suspect it attracts the attention of the AR who sees the player coming back from that offside position and then left with the decision of positioning AT THE MOMENT of the cross.