Question Number: 32255

Law 11 - Offside 2/21/2018

RE: Intermediate Under 14

Phil of Tarzana, CA United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 32250

Something referee Jason Wright said brings up question.

Suppose the attacker is in an offside position, and a defender has his arms wrapped around the attacker.

1) If the defender does this before the attacker's teammate kicks the ball, there's a foul. Can you play advantage if the attacker gets to the ball? Can you yellow card the defender for a tactical foul?

2) If the defender does this after the attacker's teammate kicks the ball, I realize it would be offside & an indirect free kick for the defenders. However, could you yellow card the defender for an attempt? (It couldn't be a foul because play has stopped, but could/should it be unsporting behavior?

3) If they are simultaneous, do you have to decide which offense is more serious?

Thanks in advance,
Phil

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Phil,

For your 1st question NO!
there is NO advantage possible if the receiving team mate was a PIOP .
The foul if it was worthy of a DFK or PK then call it if it occurred BEFORE the player WAS restricted as a PIOP.

For the 2nd question
misconduct is a possibility just not likely unless blatantly reckless and setting a standard or bar for match control

For the 3rd.
I suppose if it WAS simultaneous you would have to arrive at such a decision but for me unless the foul involved VC or reckless I likely go offside INDFK out particularity if the offside was blatantly obvious.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Phil,
Although the law doesn't directly address your question(s), there were a couple of paragraphs added to the offside law just this year (2017-18 edition) that are partially relevant. Those sections are as follows:

''In situations where:
[...]
a player in an offside position is moving towards the ball with the intention of playing the ball and is fouled before playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the foul is penalised as it has occurred before the offside offence

an offence is committed against a player in an offside position who is already playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the offside offence is penalised as it has occurred before the foul challenge''

As to your specific questions: you can't play advantage because if you do, it means you're allowing play to continue as if the foul didn't happen - and if it didn't happen, the attacker has committed an offside offence. You could caution the defender but only if the actions merited it (reckless foul). It wouldn't be a caution for stopping a promising attack because again, absent the foul the player would have been called offside so there would be no attack to stop. It's the same principle as a player who handles the ball to stop it going into the goal from a throw-in - it's not denying a goal because a goal can't be scored from a throw-in.

On the third one, I agree with the opinion given by ref Dawson.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Phil
If the ball is present and within playing distance of both players then the offside has in fact occurred most likely by interfering with an opponent. So that is the offence that is called not the pull back. If the ball is elsewhere it is the foul that is called. Referee Grove has quoted the relevant Law
1. If the ball is not played there is no offside yet and timing is critical. A referee could be early on the whistle for a pull back before there is any offside. If however the ball is played then there is a foul at the ball it is offside that is called so no possible advantage as the defending team has been disadvantaged. Any Disciplinary sanction will depends on the nature of the *foul* contact although it is rare.
2. It depends on the nature of the foul. It cannot be tactical as there is an IDFK against the attacking team. If the foul was reckless then yes a caution is possible. The restart is still an IDFK for offside.
3. Unlikely to be simultaneous and very hard to opine. Did the foul happen before the ball was played by a team mate. I expect the flag to up for offside and that is the decision the referee should make.