Question Number: 21241

Law 11 - Offside 4/30/2009

RE: Competitive Adult

Tom of London, UK asks...

In the offside law, to whom is the advantage given?

i.e. in a tight call - might be on, might be off - who should the ref give the advantage to?

I'm under the impression it should be the attacking the team, however this rarely seems to be the case in professional football.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

There are those who think awarding a dodgy offside (might be wrong NO offside) is better than allowing a dodgy goal (might be wrong YES offside) I suppose if you call it for both teams they can rely on a set standard but it is the wishes of FIFA to lean the doubt in favor of keeping play going rather than stopping!

Actually in the over 30 years I have refereed the mantra I was taught and still pass on today is
'When in DOUBT do NOT wave it about!'

When refereeing as a solo official I specifically tell teams that I do not call offside unless 100% certain it is offside.

Static positions are EASY to call if the AR is positioned correctly!

It is very difficult if opposing players moving at 20 plus miles an hour in opposing directions, watching for the last ball touch, then switching to the moving player positions and still framing that picture as a clear yes or no! The time for the eyes to focus and see then switch and register something takes time and in that time frame movement is still occurring. Thus we award an unsure to the attack as a general principle. We might confer with the referee in cases where goals are scored and we are unsure who last touched it but I teach the ARs to pretend the flag is velcroed to their body and they must first pry it free and then raise it to really think about what it is they are seeing!
Cheers


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Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

It's not a question of advantage. It is a question of whether they were offside or not. If they were not, or if the assistant referee is not CERTAIN then there can be no call.

It's like a goal. If the referee or AR is not certain the whole ball completely crossed the goal line under the cross bar and between the posts, a goal cannot be given.

Remember, being in an offside position is NOT an offense - never has been. The player in offside position has to participate in some fashion by gaining an advantage (very specific set of circumstances), interfering with play (very specific set of circumstances) or interfering with an opponent (broadest of the narrow definitions).

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Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The general rule is unless you are sure, the flag stays down.

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Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Offside does take 100% concentration to make the call. A good AR will be even in proper position to make the call and also use good judgement. If the AR is in doubt, then the flag should always stay down.

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