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Soccer Referee Questions on Soccer Rules

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Question...

Ok lots to consider!
You are in the very late stages of a hotly contested tied match when a cynical tactical foul by a tired #2 red player on the #17 blue player occurs top defensive blue third on a fast break out by blue. Blue #17 does a little roll and pops up chasing after the loose ball rolling forward into the midline area. Although the foul is cautionable , the referee decides it looks like a promising attacking opportunity and he signals Play On! Advantage using the thrusting arms out as he too is now chasing the attack. Many players are very tired at this point so they are strung out all over the field as this last gasp attack tries to end the deadlock. Rather than pass the ball to the blue #19 player ahead of him on the right. Blue 17 passes the ball across the field to a streaking onside blue #11 in the left corner, who then crosses it inside the center of Red Penalty area to an onside blue player #14 who poorly heads this ball high up in the air towards the right side outer top edge of the PA. The red keeper was rushing out to get to the cross but now changes direction on the high header off to his right and thinks to get to it ahead of the original #17 blue player who is onside. At the time of the header by #14 blue ,#19 blue was slightly offside positioned because the keeper rushing out was one of the opponents who was keeping him onside had passed him prior to the header.
Now the red keeper has decided to try and punch the ball out and away from the #17 blue player waiting for the ball to come down at the far right side of the PA corner. He jumps up, fisting the ball away and collides into blue 17, knocking him over, the ball appears possibly to be outside the PA , it is very very close, you are unsure, the ball caroms off towards the right corner flag to be collected by our offside blue player #19 who promptly crosses the ball to an onside blue player #11 for a tap in goal. The AR is standing at the corner flag looking a bit stunned but has the flag up. Put it all together its your call!
Your match! Your decision! your reputation!

Our Hint

LOL Were you able to follow the bouncing ball? Perhaps we will get a video picture to help next time but the details are clear as to who did what and where . So referee, what is your decision ?Is this a good goal? Is this Offside? Is this a DFK outside the area? Do we caution, do we need to caution? good use of advantage, bad use? AR what was his duties? What is his position telling you? A referee must make a final decision based on what he knows.

Our Answer...

The quick answer good goal, caution #2 red, restart kick off
Another answer no goal award INDFK for offside, caution #2 red
last shot good goal, restart kick off
Now the why, what ifs and wonder of it all!

Lets give the referee here a clap for great situational awareness in recognizing the tired state of the opposition strung out over the field in allowing an advantage in the defensive 3rd to unravel in such a way that we achieved a goal at the other end! All that unfolded prior to the goal was part of the ongoing decision making process we all go through when active play throws at us challenges and situations we must look at, see, evaluate and move on in quick succession !

There was some debate about the keeper's action with the deliberate action of his punching a ball away that was originally crossed into the penalty area as a deliberate save as opposed to a deliberate action but not a save. A shot attempt does not have to be directed on goal for it to be considered a "deliberate save" for the purposes of determining offside. But it is a standard whereby the shot has to be directed at the goal to be evaluated as whether it could go wide or high. Here it goes out and away from goal, thus it is not a save in the sense the ball had opportunity to be thought that it could directly or indirectly enter the goal without additional efforts on the part of the players.

If this was a referee's decision of offside, it would stand as a fact of play but as how FIFA is dictating the, lets get more goals theme, we must look at the reality of how recent calls are being examined and put out as examples of not offside, when traditionally many would have been.

Keeper's contact with the #17 blue player needs some thought as to whether the action was reckless or excessive. Check to see if the two are ok and uninjured! The DH (deliberate handling) possibility in this case is a red herring, the non save deliberate play is the focus here! If there was a DH then another great advantage by the referee, mind you failing to indicate it was advantage could confuse the AR slightly ! ANY deliberate handling is in fact a deliberate play and if not a save, resets offside!

Do not like the flag by the AR, if the referee is happy with the goal, this flag needed to be waved off immediately. The referee should take responsibility for offside interpretation calls and not automatically or blindly, accept an AR’s raised flag. This is a two part equation where the referee interprets and the AR notes the positional aspect but together they must arrive at the correct response. In this case a goal! Mechanics eye contact and a clear sign by the referee to the AR to drop that flag or indicate the ball was clearly and deliberately played. No stunned looks please, clear signals, crisp communication, confer if you must, but stay alert, professional and look as if you knew what was happening all of the time!

Now we focus on #2 red earlier indiscretion when you applied advantage at the start of all this, given you allow the goal some are toying with the idea of not showing the yellow card as a needed caution. Understandable but to be consistent at the end of the match if this was cautionable earlier is it fair not to do so now? This is one of those decisions you will feel the need to follow through or not! Expect repercussions though either way!

If the referee not willing or is not convinced it was not just a deliberate play but an actual save then the flag stands, goal is denied and the indfk awarded for the offside after #2 Red is shown the yellow card and cautioned for the tactical foul earlier. This interpretation is more likely with those unwilling to see past traditional offside parameters. Reluctant to embrace the newer version of deliberate touch versus controlled possession. Get with the times gentlemen and ladies, offside is less tolerant of defenders mistakes then ever!

Chuck Fleischer & Richard Dawson former and current editors of asktheref.com

The primary understanding of offside requires the realization that it is comprised of two separate elements!

{1} POSITION which is NOT an offence but RESTRICTS the player from further involvement in active play

{2} INVOLVEMENT in active play by a restricted offside player creates an indfk infringement

Why is this hard to comprehend? Confusion is created by the ever changing circumstances of offside
Position must be established as a 100% YES or 100% NO decision before we need concern ourselves to look further. We suggest you see it as FREEZE frame picture of ALL the participants, calculated at a single moment of time, when a ball is LAST touched by a team mate. There must be an initial accurate positional assessment! The inability to make a correct diagnosis at that critical moment can affect a match outcome so it's importance is magnified pressure, complicated by the time delay sequence, where being able to see, to follow, to hear, to understand and apply your current level of knowledge to the continual movement of the players, both defending and attacking, at speeds of 20 miles an hour, running in opposing directions, chasing a rolling, bouncing ball, moving at possibly 3x that speed, if not more, surrounding each decision!

When judgment of offside position is necessary, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his OWN team ask these questions:

1. Is the player in the attacking half of the field?
2. Is the player nearer the opposing goal line than the ball?
3. Is the player nearer the opposing goal line than the last but one opponent or the last two opponents?

If all are answered yes GO TO next paragraph ELSE, IF any question is answered no, the player is not in an offside position and can participate in play until the next touch by a member of his team.

At that point GO TO question 1.

The player is in an offside position, ask two more questions:
a. Is the player actively interfering with play or an opponent?
b. Is the player gaining an advantage?

If either of these is true or becomes true before the next touch by one of his OWN side then the assistant flags for offside and the referee blows for the infraction and awards an indirect free kick, to be taken from where the attacker was previously,at the moment the ball was touched or played by a member of his own team, not from where the involvement occurs.

Remember that it is not contrary to the Law to be in an offside position. After the ball is played by a team mate or an opponent a footballer may run into an offside position and play it without penalty.

When a player is in an offside position and the ball is touched or played by a team mate that player may not get involved, without penalty, if the ball rebounds or deflects off an opponent or an opponent makes a deliberately save, OR the player runs to a position that is not offside and becomes actively involved. This includes returning to his own half!

ONCE a player has been 100% identified as being in an offside position, he is restricted from active play, no matter what he does and where he goes, because NOTHING an offside restricted player 'ORP' can do on his own will change anything!

There are only 3 stages of play that could allow an offside restricted player (ORP) to rejoin active play.

One - a NEW teammate's touch of the ball
(1) Condition one requires the former offside restricted player to no longer be in an offside position when this new touch occurs. Offside reset occurs at ANY teammate touch of the ball deliberate or accidental creating a NEW phase of play with a new freeze frame snap shot of the new positioning of the players on the field

Two - opposing player deliberately plays/controls the ball while not being challenged or interfered with by an offside player
(2) Condition two must simply occur, offside position is not part of the equation because condition one no longer applies. The former restricted offside player can legally contest ball possession if his opponents have deliberately touched/played the ball, this frees the previously restricted offside position attacker who is no longer, gaining an advantage, to rejoin active play no matter their position on the field

There are 3 exceptions pertaining to gaining an advantage
If the opponent/defender touch of the ball is deemed in the opinion of the officials to be a
(a) - rebound = a ball that bounces back after impacting a hard surface
(b) - deflection = a ball that alters it trajectory or being caused to change direction upon impact
(c) - deliberate save = a ball played with a conscious decision and realization of the consequences of action but is done preventing a possible goal
These conditions WILL NOT RESET nor change an attacking opponents' restricted offside status!

(2a) Deliberately playing the ball must be a controlled possession or a controlled pass

INCORRECT - It is ball played with a conscious decision and realization of the consequences of action

Deliberately playing the ball involves a conscious act of a player whereby his making contact with the ball with his feet, head, hands or body was the result of him initiating a sequence of events in a timely manner! There is no guarantee of control or possession in a deliberate action. It does involve a PHYSICAL touch of the ball

(2b) A miss kick or poor header is considered a deflection/rebound

INCORRECT A miss kick or poor header is more often a MISTAKE made when choosing to deliberately play the ball!

We do not award offside for a mistake, if it was a DELIBERATE PLAY!

HOWEVER, the position or movement of the feet or head, hands or body apparently trying to react does not necessarily mean the ball was deliberately played!

What criteria can we use to determine a deliberate play from an impact creating a deflection or a rebound?

�DISTANCE: How far away is the ball? ?
�FLIGHT PATH: Is the ball's speed, direction, or angle altered on its way towards the player?
�SPEED: How fast is that ball moving?
�SPACE: is there room to react?
�TIME: Is there time to prepare?
�IMPACT: Does the ball strike the player, without the player being aware or time to react?

An impact is NOT deliberately playing the ball, nor a mistake, it is either

�{a} rebound which is a ball that bounces back after impacting a hard surface or
�{b} deflection which is a ball that alters it trajectory or being caused to change direction upon impact.

(2c) - deliberate save. A shot attempt does not have to be directed on goal for it to be considered a "deliberate save" for the purposes of determining offside. If the ball is deliberately played, in the opinion of the referee, the player was reasonably attempting to prevent a shot at goal or stop the ball from entering the goal

Three - the ball goes out of play
(3) Condition three requires a restart of play!
Three restarts are free from any offside criteria by either team (Throw-in, Corner kick, Goal kick) where position is NOT a factor at the moment of the kick
A NEW positional offside evaluation will occur ONLY from the team taking the kick be it indk or direct as there is a new touch of ball by the attacking team/or team mates. The opponents are exempt because condition two now applies!

Please view the interpretive video links below applicable to the changes in offside!

The first one is a demonstration/teaching video supplied by FIFA!

The second one is a series of MLS videos of recent offside decisions that highlight current offside thinking
(1) FIFA http://garcia-aranda.com/offsideifab/eng001.html

(2) MLS http://www.proreferees.com/news-offside-videos.php

.

INTERFERING what the law now says

"interfering with play" means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate.

"interfering with an opponent" means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movement or challenging an opponent for the ball.

GAINING AN ADVANTAGE - what the law now says

"Gaining an advantage by being in that position" means playing a ball

1.That rebounds or is deflected to him off the goal post, crossbar or an opponent having been in an offside position.
2.That rebounds, is deflected or is played to him from a deliberate save by an opponent having been in an offside position.
3.A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent, who deliberately plays the ball (except from a deliberate save), is not considered to have gained an advantage

That was our Question YOUR Answer is...

Sean Jensen a Soccer Fan from Renton WA USA

Taking things in order:
The cautionable tactical foul that went unblown due to advantage still needs to be dealt with. Caution #2 red.
Next thing that may need to be dealt with is the collision between the keeper and #17. From the description, it sounds like a foul by the keeper to me, but based on the outcome, holding the whistle and giving advantage seems like a good plan here. Similarly with the potential handball on the keeper, given the statement that it's not sure whether it was in the area or not, it would be inappropriate to blow for it, and even if it were sure, advantage seems appropriate again.
The offside position of #19 isn't relevant as the ball came to him from a deliberate touch from the keeper (the punch). The AR has his flag up, so I need to make sure I'm not missing something, so I'd approach him to discuss what he saw. If his signal is based on the offside position of #19, I'd wave it off and award the goal, restarting with a kick-off. It's possible he saw something else that would change that decision.

AskTheref.com Educating and Amusing The Soccer Referee Since October 11, 1999

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Offside Question?
Offside Explained by Chuck Fleischer & Richard Dawson, Former & Current Editor of AskTheRef

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