Understanding the Offside Rule (2)

The Offside Rule is among the shortest rule in the Laws of the game. Short does not imply that it is simple. The problems faced by referees, assistant referees, players and team officials are due to its understanding, interpretation and implementation. Assistant referees interprete it as they see it and team officials interprete it the way they want to see it (normally to their advantage). If their player has a goal scoring chance or attacking move they would prefer the decision to be not offside but if it is the opponent who gets the advantage, they would want it to be ruled offside. Offside is judged at the moment the ball is played by the team-mate NOT when he recieved the ball.

Assistant referees will make mistake in the judgement if he is caught not in position or unattentive. They will also tend to make error in their judgement call when the ball was passed from a distance or a long pass. Strikers moving forward and defender moving up makes the task of judging and alertness difficult. Usually, team official sees the incident after the ball has been passed not at the moment it was passed. The position of the team officials does not give them the right to say that the assistant referee was wrong either as they are not in line to see. Only the video tape can proof what is right or wrong. Assistant referee making a wrong offside judgement in the World Cup will be asked to pack and leave the next day.

It is not an offence for a player who is in an offside position. Thus he is not immediately penalised for it. He is only penalised when he is involved in active play by playing or interfering with play, interfering with an opponent or gains and advantage from being in that offside position.

In the diagram above, the player was in an offside position when the kicked was taken. If the ball goes straight into the goal, the goal would be awarded. Here the ball was deflected from the defender to him. He gains an advantage by being in that position, thus he is rightly penalised for offside. He will also be penalised if the ball was deflected from the goal post, cross bar or even from the goalkeeper to him. He gains the advantage and should be pull for offside.

Changes to FIFA Laws of the Game 2009-2010

Technical Area

Only one person at a time is authorized to convey tactical instructions from the technical area. (amendment 2009/10)

The part of the text deleted:

(....and he must return to his position after giving these instructions)

This change should be warmly welcomed by all team officials as one official can now stand the whole match without being pestered regularly by the fourth official to sit down or move back. They are reminded that only ONE official can stand at any one time and the coach and other occupants of the technical area must behave in a responsible manner. With this change too, the duty of the fourth official is made easier. He need not go and remind the official standing to return to his position after giving instructions.

Dangerous Play - Careless or Reckless

Playing in a dangerous manner involves no physical contact between players. Playing in a dangerous manner as defined by FIFA as any action that, while trying to play the ball, threatens injury to someone (including the player himself). More often a player attempt to play a high ball with his legs will endanger the safety of another player - clearing or attempting to kick the ball using the "bicycle kick" or "scissors kick" are examples. If no player is nearby or put off by that attempt, play shall proceed. Otherwise, the referee shall stop play when an opponent is adversely affected, and award an indirect free kick to the opposing team.

Carelessness do exist in football - a player trying to play the high ball with his leg and an opponent at the same time attempt to head the ball. If there is physical contact with the opponent, the referee will rule it as a penal offence and award a direct free kick. No card is given as it is a result of carelessness.

At times, a player knowing that his opponent will play the ball still attempt to play it with his legs and resulted in physical injury to his opponent. This is a reckless attempt and shall be sanctioned with a yellow card. If the element of excessive force is involved bringing about serious injury to the opponent, the player shall then be sent off immediately.

Changing for Better Referees' Performance

"For things to change, I must first change". More often, after each match or game, comments will be shared by the assessors, "friends", peers or even your juniors and the most important 'muhasabah' (self-assessment) is yourself. A referee should always remember that "if the wind did not blow, the grasses will not sway". If there was no error in your decisions, the players, officials, assessor and even the crowd will not swear. The ability to accept and absorb comments and criticism is one factor that not many referees possessed. Only excellent referees possess or are born with it. The realising that "alhamdulullah, when I did a good game, I was lucky but could I have done it better?" If my game wasn't good enough, how could I improve on it? are questions that one should ponder upon after each match. Being egoistic, snobbish and arrogant will not see the potentiality of changes for the better in a person.
As a FIFA official, one's performance should be a step at least (if not more) ahead of other referees. If the others are performing the same or better than the FIFA referees or assistant referees, then they should take over at that level. Perhaps the system of promotion or demotion should take into consideration the overall performance of all referees and assistant referees, arranging them in their level of merit and the better be chosen for registration in the following year list without taking into consideration whether they are the existing FIFA match officials or not. This perhaps would be a 'wake-up call' to some who thinks that they are the better ones but performing below par of the rest. "Leading by example", "Modelling the role" and "do your best to be the best" are a few guides that should be taken into consideraton all the time.
Look into onself and ask what are the strength that one possessed and the weaknessess that are the threats. Find ways and means to use one's strength to overcome the weaknessess. If all referees strive to be the best in any level of game or at any time of the game, the Maldivian match officials will be among the renown officials in SAFF, AFC and even in the World level to come.

FAM YOUNG REFEREES COURSE

Football Association of Maldives (FAM) will be organising a basic refereeing course for young schoolboys who aspire to be the future Maldivians FIFA Match Officials. 30 students aged 9 to 16 will be given basic refereeing skills.

The course is on the 22 - 26 June 2009 in FAM House and the Turf ground. These young referees will be instrumental in the coming YDP Festival Football Tournament 2009

Problems in the Game (Q & A)

I would like to invite readers of this blog to try their knowledge on the Laws of the game. The answers are given at the sidebars on the right.

1. A defender clears a high ball using the 'bicycle kick'. As he was about to kick the ball, an opponent behind him attempt to head the ball. The leg strikes the opponent body instead of the ball. The referee should stop play and give a direct free kick or play on?

2. A striker moves into the penalty area with the ball. The defender tried to kick the ball but missed it and kicked the opponent instead. The referee should award a penalty kick or allow play to continue?

3. A defender tackles for the ball but before he kicked the ball, his leg tripped his opponent. Should the referee award a direct free kick or play on as the defender plays the ball?

4. An attacker took a shot at goal. The ball, however deflected from a defender who tried to stop the kick, to his team-mate who was already standing in an offside position when the shot was taken. An indirect free kick should be given for offside or allow the play to go on?

5. From a free kick near the penalty area, the ball rebound off the goalkeeper forward. An attacker who was not offside follow up the kick and kicked the ball towards goal. However his team-mate who was in an offside position ran towards the ball that was about to enter goal, touched and connected it into goal. Should a goal be awarded or a free kick against the player who was offside?

6. An attacker and a defender fell on the ground off the goal line while the ball was still in play in the penalty area. The defender striked the attacker while they were on the ground. The referee stopped play. He sent off the defender for violent conduct. He should restart play with a penalty kick, an indirect free kick or a dropped ball?

Making Mistakes in the Dying Minutes

Going through the Wataniya Dhivehi Leagues’ reports by the referees’ assessors, the statistic shows that most of the incidents occurred during the last quarter of the match. Red card incidents not sanction appropriately, yellow cards shown simultaneously in a short span of time - having to give a few cautions to have the game under control, incidents occurred with the referee not giving the correct decisions, players are cautioned for dissent, whistle to penalise fouls when a goal scoring chance or a good attacking move existed, offside incidents missed or incorrectly judged by the assistant referees – to name a few.
Have you ever thought of the reasons why these things happen? In your self-assessment (if any) do you ever wonder what causes or spurs the incidents to happen? Some may still be pondering and wondering why! Let me highlight a few possibilities that you may want to take into consideration in order to have a better preparation for the future matches.
Certain serious or even trifle fouls in the early part of the match were not treated with care and assertiveness. "When you do not put out the small fire early, it will become out of control in the end". A verbal or a stern warning may help to reduce the anger or abrassion. Dissent or verbal abuses not checked properly by stern warning or the showing of yellow card early may eventually leads to many occasions of players not respecting the decisions and verbally or publicly abusing the match official. Certain bad attitude by players should be seen as a threat to the game and if the referee allows the culprit to increase his terror in the field, it will leads to more problems.
Lack of concentration may occurs when a referee begin to feel complacent – happy and contented with his decisions or performance or with a large score-line margin. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going but if the referee is not ready or fail to anticipate the “unexpeceted”, they will be left stunted when incident beyond his control occurs and will be seen to be undecided in their decisions. There is the saying, “ when everything seems to be going on well, there will be something that you will overlook”. When the referee gets tired at the last quarter of the match or was exposed to series of dissent, appeal or confrontation by players which makes him get tensed up, this it the time where he will tend to make mistake or lack concentration, not seeing things that he is supposed to have seen (in front of him), not taking the correct or appropriate or strong actions, missing fouls or the assistant’s flag and other incidents that may be small or large but will be detrimental to his performance or influences the confidence of players, team officials or even the crowd to his decisions. In 50-50 situations, do not make decisions that would bring about problems to the match - a goal kick is better than a corner kick, throw in to the losing side or the defender and etc. Many assessors do advise the referees to be more careful especially during the dying minutes of the match. Move nearer to gain the confidence of the players and to on the incidents when it occur. This will help him to regain his own confidence and thus his performance.