Question Number: 32871

Law 11 - Offside 11/10/2018

RE: Adult

Paul Ward of Doncaster, United Kingdom asks...

An opposing player clears the ball which hits one of his own team mates and rebounds to one of our players who is stood in an offside position, he proceeds to score but is then flagged offside, is this a correct decision?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Paul ,
from the general description I would say NO Offside, BUT, there are ODD situations.

For example an offside opponent is standing at the far post when the shot occurs but our (PIOP (player in offside position) is NOT affecting play or interfering with any opponent , thus no offside. The keeper or any defender dives to make a desperate legal save, the ball is stopped from entering the goal but it deflects out off the back of another defender's head & the offside opponent standing at the post knocks it in.

Now WAS offside reset? In my opinion ? NO!

The LOTG state a deliberate save does NOT reset offside ! The LOTG also state a deflection or rebound does not reset offside. The LOTG state an PIOP can not benift from their position IF the ball arrives coming off a deliberate save or deflection or rebound . Same thing here except the save knocks the ball off the post and the PIOP puts it in.

In point of fact I actually called an offside on a ball that the keeper dove to save, got his fingers to tip the ball into the cross bar & down , then rebounded off the back of a defenders leg and a PIOP popped it in. It would not matter that the ball likely would have gone in anyway, he chose to get involved and was in my opinion, STILL restricted.

That being said if the ball is controlled via a deliberate play , IE keeper caught it then tried to kick it or defender stopped it then tried to clear it or the ball when it was deliberately played had zero opportunity of being considered a save then offside was RESET and the accidental redirect off the other teammate is meaningless, goal should count! The issue in any decision is did the AR or CR see it clearly or did you miss something they in fact did see?

For example a rolling ball into the goal area that could easily be picked up by the keeper but rather he decided to pound it down field and it rebounded off teammate to an attacker, that attacker, no matter he was a PIOP is free to play the ball because the keepers' actions were deliberate they had nothing to do with a save


Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Paul
As described NOT offside.
The ball was not played by any player on the attacking side so there is no possible offside.
Now reasons why it could be given
1. The ball touches an opposing player on the way through to the PIOP off the clearance on the way out or way in.
2. The AR thinks that as the ball is played forward by an attacking player.
3. The ball actually rebounded off an attacker to the PIOP or it looked like that.
Generally these work the other way in that it is not unusual for a defection /rebound off an attacker on a clearance by a defender which goes to a PIOP. As it is a defection / rebound off an attacker it can be missed or not seen as offside, which it clearly is.
I had one last season on the line which I flagged much to the consternation of the attacking team. I shouted to the referee that the ball was last played / touched by an attacker giving the number to which the penny dropped with the attacking team.
.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Paul,
Based on the limited information given in your description this sounds like it should have been a legal goal. As my colleagues have explained though, there may have been other factors in play which could have affected the decision.