Question Number: 31650

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/21/2017

RE: Competive Adult

Mike Rose of Silver spring, Md Usa asks...

A player on defense uses his hands to keep a shot from going in the goal. The ref delays calling the handball and a offensive player slams the deflected ball into the net. After this happens the AR tells the ref that the goal scorer was offside. My question is does the shot that the scorer took constitue an advantage gained thus making a PK impossible or can I still bring back the advantage and call the PK. I know I must still give the red card because the original shot being stoped with the hands is still a dogso situation.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

One would assume that the defender using his hands would be a deliberate play, so thus offside is reset. (If it wasn't deliberate, we wouldn't be talking about a foul, PK and/or DOGSO.) So play the advantage, no offside call, count the goal.

Your last sentence is incorrect. It *used* to be USSF's position several years ago, that DOGSO applied individually, and so it would have been DOGSO. But IFAB clarified that DOGSO is considered corporately - so if the goal was scored for the team, there was no goal denied to the team. It means that the 'wrong' player gets credit for the goal - but the Laws are not concerned with which player gets the goal, only which team.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mike
It is deemed that deliberate handling is a deliberate play of the ball in which case offside has been reset so the referee should play advantage and allow the goal. It is not a reset if it is a legal save of the ball.
In the situation where advantage cannot accrue for what ever reason then the only decision is to go back to the original offence, award the penalty kick and send off the player that deliberately handled the ball to prevent a goal.
In respect of the recent Laws update a player will only be cautioned should a goal result from the play that is the player failed to stop the ball entering the goal with his hands or advantage allowed the attacking team to score. If no goal is scored and a penalty is awarded the player must be sent off for a DOGSO.H
For completeness if a players fouls an opponent denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity and it was a genuine attempt to play the ball then the player is cautioned if a penalty is awarded. If the DOGSO foul happens outside the penalty area the player is sent off.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Mike,
Let's assume that the handling was a foul. This is deliberate handling, so a deliberate play on the ball. This resets offside anyway, so a goal is the correct decision.

Of course, this assumes the handling was deliberate - bear in mind that accidental handling is not an offence, even if it's stopping a ball going into the goal. As it's accidental, that means it's not a play on the ball so doesn't nullify offside, so the correct decision would be an IFK for the defence.

However, I suspect that a key issue you're raising here is the issue of offside following a foul and where advantage falls into that.

Advantage cannot occur when the attacking team has committed an offence. I've had a scenario where an attacker was running with the ball and there was an attacker nearby in an offside position. The attacker with the ball was fouled, and the loose ball was collected by the attacker in an offside position.

The foul doesn't negate the offside - the 2nd attacker was in an offside position when the ball was last touched by a teammate then became actively involved in play, so has committed an offence. But this offside offence ONLY occurred because of the defensive foul, which occurred first. So even if that attacker has a clear shot on goal (I once had to deny a goal in this situation!), it must go back to the foul.

As a referee, this is an odd enough situation that it may be worth consulting with your AR before the decision. Assuming it was a DHB thus resetting offside, you need to think about how to sell the decision to the players - because the defence are going to be upset about the raised flag. And you may need to be very careful about further flash points from the team who conceded that goal.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Mike,
The law says that a player is not offside when receiving a ball which is deliberately played by an opponent, except from a deliberate save and defines a save as ''when a player stops, or attempts to stop, a ball which is going into or very close to the goal with any part of the body except the hands/arms (unless the goalkeeper within the penalty area).''

Since this player was not the goalkeeper and used his hands, it seems to me this does not qualify as a save within the terms of Law 11 and therefore the attacker would not be considered to have gained an advantage.

So the referee is entitled to apply the advantage clause and allow the goal. Since a goal has been scored, it has not been denied so there cannot be a DOGSO offence.