Question Number: 14995

Law 11 - Offside 3/16/2007

RE: Under 19

Greg Hayes of Mesa, AZ USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 14976

I saw follow-up question 14987 and saw that your panel was working on the reply. Obviously this is a very subjective gray area for the offside call. I was wondering if you agree with my perspective on this situation. Based on the laws of physics dealing with mass and velocity (momentum vectors), I think the answer to 14987 can be somewhat straight forward and less subjective. The ball is initially played by the attacker in the direction of the player that is in an offside position. That played ball has momentum towards the offside positioned player. Even if the ball is moving slowly towards the offside positioned player due to it being projected very sharply up/high or just lightly kicked with a low projection, if the defender touches the ball and does not control it enough to stop its progress towards the offside positioned player, it is a deflection and offside should be called on the attacker. I would still call that a deflection by the defender because it was never really controlled enough by the defender to stop that initial momentum towards the offside attacker. Now if trying to touch the ball, the defender purposely swings his foot or snaps his head clearly in the direction the attacker just happens to be in while in the offside position and doing so clearly and significantly helps speed up the ball's velocity towards the attacker, I would most likely NOT call offside on the attacker.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Here is what US Soccer says about the subject, from Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game:

11.14 BECOMING "ONSIDE"

A player who is in an offside position at the moment the ball is played by a teammate can become "onside" in only four ways:

1. The player is not nearer to the opposing goal than the ball when it is next played by a teammate.

2. The positions of the opponents change so the player is no longer in an offside position when the ball is next played by a teammate.

3. An opponent intentionally plays or gains possession of the ball.

4. The ball goes out of play.

The key point for all of these, other than the obvious case (4), is that someone other than the player in the offside position has to play the ball; the player cannot put him- or herself "onside."

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

What constitutes possession and control rests as an opinion with you the referee, your perception is the same for both teams then it is a match condition! I think that rather like playing advantage we size up the situation ad then make a decision to allow play or bring it back. With offside we should pretend the flag is Velcro to our side and we must first pull it away then signal to look at the situation and be sure the criteria were in fact fully met. In my opinion a play on the ball as you describe is not necessarily control or possession but as an opinion it is the referee's call to interpret the USSF position "An opponent intentionally plays or gains possession of the ball!" If you thought the defender intentionally played that balls to an offside positioned opponent you must believe that the defender had no idea that opponent was there as why would he do so? For what it is worth I agree a mistake is not the same as a deflection but an attempt is not necessarily control!
Cheers