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OFFSIDE - Deliberate play by defender?

Peter Longland

While coaching and assisting by running the line in various age groups, I have had several contentious offside decisions in relation to "deliberate play" by a defender which therefore plays an attacker onside.

Under Law 11.2 "A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball, including by deliberate handball, is not considered to have gained an advantage, unless it was a deliberate save by any opponent."

My question relates to this grey area of deliberate play and the interpretation of it.

If the defender is close to the attacker that plays the ball either by passing or shooting, is it considered deliberate if he/she raises a foot, for example, with the intention of controlling the ball only for it to deflect off a shin/knee/thigh? For me, this is a deflection and merely a reaction to a ball being near to the defender. It seems harsh to describe that as deliberate play rather than a deliberate attempt to play or cut a ball out.

I appreciate that if a defender has enough time and jumps to head the ball, or attempts to control the ball then I would agree that this could well be described as "deliberate play", but examples I've seen of deliberate play is more applicable if the defender has had the ball under a semblance of control such as a back pass to another defender or goalkeeper.

Any clarification about this thorny issue would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards

Pete Longland

  • 0

    Hi Pete,

    It is a hard question to give a 100% answer on as there is always going to be a degree of interpretation to any decision.

    As we have been instructed as referees in Canada, the most important consideration is the time involved in the decision making process of the player. Do they have enough time to consciously decide their action or are they relying purely on instinct and reaction.

    Not Deliberate

    - If a player's action is the result of "reacting" by instinct by sticking out a foot to block a shot or pass, or jumping across the path of a shooting player to block a shot then it should not be considered deliberate play of the ball. 

    Deliberate Play

    If the player has the time to consciously make a decision of what to with the ball before it reaches them. As you said a backpass to another defender or the GK would apply, but also if the defender is attempting to take a first touch into space or make a one touch pass to a teammate up the field and they misplay the ball and it scuffs off their boot. (this is the hardest part of that grey area and is very much a catch 22. As referees we are instructed to focus on fact and avoid trying to guess a player's intent; except in this case the intent is a key part of the decision). As you said, if a player has raised a foot or thigh with the intent to control the ball, then it has to be considered deliberate, even if their touch is poor and it skims off them.

    Heading the ball is typically always considered to be a deliberate action due to the decision making time required, unless it is at point blank range and simply hits the defender who has no time to react or get out of the way. (Think of a player in a defensive wall who gets a ball straight at the head and couldn't get out of the way if he tried).

    A recent update now is that they have added deliberately handling the ball to this consideration. If a defending player sticks out an arm to stop a pass or shot and the ball goes to an attacker in an offside position, then there is no offside offense and attacking team can continue with the ball. The referee may still come back and sanction the defending player at the next stoppage of play.

    Hopefully this helped a bit.

    Cheers,

    GB 

  • 0 in reply to Gavin Brown

    Thank you very much for you concise answer. It is very much appreciated and does clear it up a bit. 

    As you said, it is always open to interpretation which is where the frustration can creep in, but I think your description of “reaction” is the best way to approach this. 

    Thanks again

    PL