Question Number: 15877

Law 11 - Offside 6/24/2007

RE: 8 Adult

robert of san bruno, ca. usa asks...

if a player is in a offside position and receives the ball from the defender (deflection) is the ball live or is he called offside

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Robert,
if a player is offside positioned whem his team mate last touches the ball and during the ball flight it deflects off an opponent before it reaches him according to law 11 that player has gained an advantage from his position and it is classified as offside infringment upon play or contact with the ball. INDFK out!

A DEFLECTION of the ball off an opposing defender changes nothing with reguards to an attacking player's offside status. What phase of offside play was stays as it was for the attackers. This is explained in law 11 as gaining an advantage

What a deflection of the ball off defending player can do is resets offside for the defending team as ANY touch of the ball sets offside phase in motiion for THEIR team. In effect at the time of a deflection it is in theory possible for both teams to have offside positioned players on the field unable to participate in play!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Hi Robert. A DEFLECTION does not reset offside. In order for a play on the ball by an opponent to reset offside, there has to be control. You as a referee should view a deflection off an opponent the same as if the ball travelled with no interference.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Robert this is a critical aspect of offside and it has been so since 1974! A player in an offside position is unable to participate from the moment a team mate touches the ball. If the ball deflects off of an opponent nothing changes that fact.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

they key word is control. If the defender never controls ball, then it is offside if the attacker was in offside position at time his teammate last touched ball. If the defender establishes control or controls direction of ball, then it is not offside.