Question Number: 15348

Law 11 - Offside 5/1/2007

RE: Select Under 19

Ben Johnson of Raleigh, North Carolina USA asks...

If an attacker is in an offside position, but not involved in the play when the ball is shot, and offsides is not signaled by the assistant referee, if the shot is saved by the keeper and rebounds off of him to the attacker in the offside position is offside to be called?

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Just as in the Arsenal : Liverpool match on 1 May 2007 what you ask is a classic example of: Gaining an advantage by being in that position means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a post or the crossbar having been in an offside position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position.

The reason offside was not signaled until Kuyt touched the ball is because he committed no offside offence until then. As soon as he touched the ball the assistant, and rightfully so, raised his flag signalling an offside offence to the referee.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Yes, that would be offside. If he was in an offside position at the time of the shot and ball came to him, then he gained an advantage by being in that position. Same thing if ball would have bounced off post.