Question Number: 35472

Law 11 - Offside 4/25/2024

Petr of Prague, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...

Hello,

one slightly stupid offside question please:-)

We know that an opponent's deflection does not reset offside.

Situation: Player A10 shots. His teammate A30 is in an offside position. The ball bounces off defender B5 and then also bounces off defender B8. A30 touches the ball.

Is A30 offside? My point is that the ball bounced off two players.

I'd say it doesn't change anything, but I'm not sure:-)

Thank you very much!

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Petr
As the defending team at no point had control of the ball or made a deliberate play we can opine that there is no reset and therefore offside continues to apply.
It would not be a reset where the ball ping pongs off two defenders as both contacts would be viewed as deflections which as you know under Law 11 does not reset offside.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

He Petr,
no stupid questions if an answer solves an issue.
A double deflection would NOT reset the offside restriction for the opposition!
As long as the referee is satisfied there was no deliberate controlling action attached to either contact.
It was a few years back but this situation created some hmmms!
An offside attacker was left side positioned when the teammate's shot occurs! The keeper makes a terrific sprawling reaction save where the ball impacts his knee then ricochets into the back of a nearby defender and winds up rebounding into the side of the face of another defender being thus redirected into the feet of our restricted PIOP who had moved into a non looking offside position and slots home a goal.

The CR does not immediately indicate a goal even as the celebrations were being conducted which was surprising as the AR had not raised their flag. Our CR wisely went over to the AR and began asking about the circumstances & whereabouts of the goal scorer as the initial shot on goal was taken?
The goal was waved off and an INDFK out awarded .
Keeper makes a deliberate save! NO offside reset!
Defender has ball redirected into him NO offside reset!
A second defender has the redirected ball catch him along side the face. No offside reset! Unusual but perfectly aligned with the LOTG on gaining an advantage and the INDFK out was 100% correct!
Cheers

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