Yeah, Right!!!
[Laws 11-Offside]
Jim Miller, PYSC Director of Referee Development and Education
[Previously published for IYSA, 1999]
The title refers to the fact that laws 11-17 are simple. But, the first two, Law 11 & 12 [Offside and Fouls and Misconduct], are contemptuous with coaches and parents because they require interpretation and decisions by the referee team. [OK, I looked it up: “contemptuous”—adj. feeling or showing contempt (3. Open disrespect or willful disobedience of judicial or legislative authority). Webster’s Dictionary] The article will deal with the ever contestable offside law.
After laws 11 and 12 the remaining written Laws, 13-17, deal with putting the ball back into play—RESTARTS.
Allow me to list the restarts and I will return to them in a later article:
•
Law 13Free Kicks—Direct or Indirect depending on mainly laws 11 & 12.
•Law 14A direct free kick-foul committed by defender in his/her own penalty area is punished with a penalty kick for the opponent. Lots of procedure here for the referee.
•Law 15Throw-In. Ball over the touchline.
•Law 16Goal Kick. Ball over the goal line last touched by attacker [not a goal].
•Law 17Corner Kick. Ball over the goal line last touched by defender [not a goal].
Law 11-Offside
Could I convince you that offside is so-o-o-o simple that it comes down to one word?
That word is “nearer”.
“A player is in an offside position if:
he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent… .” [FIFA Laws of the Game—LawXI]
Obviously the first thing to be determined is whether a player (attacker) is in an offside position. But it should also be stated that a player should not be penalized for merely being in an offside position (more later).
One of the main jobs of the Assistant Referee (AR) is to maintain the offside position along the touchline (Law 6), that is, be even with the second last defender(opponent), OR the ball, whichever is NEARER the opponent’s goal line. Position and mechanics of the referee team are designed to be highly efficient and effective enabling them to perform their duties. The Diagonal System of Control (DSC) using three officials is designed to place one AR at the offside position while the referee, most of the time, keeps play between him (her) and that AR .
How close can an offside call be? Well, take a look at this drawing that is presented in entry level clinics. Attacker(#10) is near the second last opponent, the opponents’ goal-line to left. […and ahead of the ball]
[Player #10 is in an off-side position because he is ahead of the opponent. (Player #10’s feet and body are not in line with those of the defender. The torso of the attacking player must be not nearer to opponents’ goal-line than that of the second last opponent.)]. The language is cumbersome, but I hope you get the picture.
Also,
Player #11(bottom of picture) is in an off-side position because he is ahead of the ball and has fewer than two opponents between himself and the goal-line. He should be declared off-side at the moment the ball is played to him by a teammate.
The next part of offside and sometimes the part causing confusion, is when the player should be called offside (infraction). Above it is clear-the moment the ball is played to him by a teammate. It makes no difference where the player finally receives the ball. The player may even receive the ball by running back into an onside position, or even into his own half of the field. Moreover, even if the teammate merely touches the ball, it is considered to be played; a deflection of the ball by a teammate to a player in an offside position is considered to be played. However, (and here’s a quirk of soccer) a deflection of the ball by a defender does not negate the offside infraction. [Remember, it is when it was first played (touched) by an attacking teammate; the offside infraction has already occurred.] Only when the defender clearly gains possession or controls the ball can the offside judgment be “reset”.
One other point-- a player can not be in an offside position if he was in his own half of the field-there’s that when again). That is, when the ball last played by a teammate, he was in his own half. To ensure this, each AR in the DSC patrols only one-half of the touchline-from goal line to midline.
The “where” and “when” parts of offside are facts. The last part of offside requires judgement and interpretation. The player to be judged offside must be…IN THE OPINION OF THE REFEREE…“involved in active play by
•interfering with play, or
•interfering with an opponent, or
•gaining an advantage by being in that position.”
In the past (over 10 years ago), every attacking player in an offside position might be penalized; now a referee speaks of the “passive” offside and asks the AR to wait a moment before declaring a person “offside” (by raising the flag vertically). A player may show their intent not to be involved in active play by ignoring a pass, turning away from play, etc. However, sometimes the attacker is still in the “area of active play” and his mere presence makes him involved-by “interfering with play”-whatever that is. These are interpretations and decisions that must be made within 1-2 seconds in a fast-paced game. Hence controversy abounds.
Finally, as with most rules, there are always exceptions. Anyone receiving the ball directly from a throw-in, goal kick, or corner kick should not be penalized for offside even though they may be in an offside position. These are all restarts after the ball has left the field of play. [Note: Free kicks do not fall under these exceptions. A player can be penalized if offside on a free kick.]
Mechanics for the AR and Referee. As noted above, the AR “indicates” (Law 6) that a player may be penalized for an offside by raising the flag vertically. But it is not an infraction until the referee sounds the whistle. The referee may allow play to continue because: 1) the referee does not agree with the AR’s interpretation, 2) the defending team has gained control of the ball, 3) the ball has gone to the goalkeeper who may punt the ball, or 4) over the goal line for a goal kick(in youth play this becomes a substitution opportunity). Another reason that the referee may allow play to continue is because he was “out to lunch” and missed the AR’s signal. Sadly, this happens because even though everyone wants perfection, I leave that to only One. That’s a message from me, folks.
However, the laws are designed to correct errors. Law 5 states that on “Decisions of the Referee”…
The referee may only change a decision on realizing that it is incorrect or, at his discretion, on the advice of an assistant referee, provided that he has not restarted play.
So, the AR and Referee must be vigilant and correct major mistakes before a restart occurs. Offside on a goal should be corrected; offside on a goal kick or throw-in, will probably not. The good part is that a referee CAN change a decision, and the best referees WILL. It is not a sign of weakness, but rather fairness.
