New offsides rule

[BigG]

https://www.nfhs.org/articles/offside-rule-revised-in-high-school-soccer/

 

We were on the "bad" side of this rule tonight.

 

Opposing team played a ball to her teammate who was in an offsides position at the time of the kick.  But since my defender made an attempt to play the ball (but didn't clear it properly and it went to the girl who was in an offsides position) the girl was ruled to NOT be in violation of the offsides rule and she went in and scored.

 

Even though the linesman kept his flag up and ALL of my defenders stopped BECAUSE he had his flag up, the center allowed the goal.

 

According to the new updated rule change, the center interpreted it correctly.

 

You all need to be aware of this rule as you move forward.   I have a feeling we will not be the only team affected in this situation.

 

 

[CHAMPDDS]

Cannot wait to hear the 'discussions' in the stands when this call is (not) made...

 

D

[NC80]

This new rule messes with the integrity of the game and should be removed.  I would understand if FIFA added something like this and NFHS followed, but I don't ever see FIFA changing rules like this.  I would love to know why this rule was added, maybe I just don't see a benefit that is there.

 

Side note, I saw a retweet from Nashville United Soccer Academy on Christine Lillys view on Club vs High School and thought you all might enjoy. 

http://devzone.positivecoach.org/resource/video/kristine-lilly-soccer-club-vs-high-school-team-controversy

[Canesoverhere]

This new rule messes with the integrity of the game and should be removed.  I would understand if FIFA added something like this and NFHS followed, but I don't ever see FIFA changing rules like this.  I would love to know why this rule was added, maybe I just don't see a benefit that is there.

 

Side note, I saw a retweet from Nashville United Soccer Academy on Christine Lillys view on Club vs High School and thought you all might enjoy. 

http://devzone.positivecoach.org/resource/video/kristine-lilly-soccer-club-vs-high-school-team-controversy

 

Because we live in Tennessee...any other questions?

[EnsworthSoccer]

I am confused completely, and I usually am not. I also am not a referee, though sometimes I pretend to be one from the sidelines during games.

 

The link at bottom is a comparative analysis of the rules of the NFHS, NCAA, and FIFA conducted by some guys named Don and George with some pretty official-sounding referee titles. They were comparing the 2016-2017 rules of all 3 organizations to each other.

 

On offsides, they indicate that there is no difference between the 3 sets of rules, and they reference a footnote that reads: 

 

"Footnote to the FIFA Offside Law 11 concerning interpretation of “INTERFERING†and “GAINING AN ADVANTAGEâ€.

 

“Interfering with an Opponent†means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or movement for challenging an opponent for the ball.

 

 â€œGaining an Advantage†by being in an offside position means playing a ball that (1)rebounds or is deflected to him off the goal post, crossbar or an opponent; (2) that rebounds or is deflected to him from a deliberate save by an opponent; (3) receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball such as a miskick or misdirected header (except for a deliberate save), is not considered to have gained an advantage and is not offside."

 

I think that last sentence is the key.

 

There is no way I can or will coach my defenders not to try to play a ball that comes to them -- they probably wouldn't listen to me even if I tried. The rule puts them in a difficult position, but I guess it is one more way that the rules have been altered over the years to make it easier for teams to score.

 

Anyway, here is the comparison: https://www.nfhs.org/media/1016876/2016-soccer-guide-interscholastic-revised.doc+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

[trebs]

This new rule messes with the integrity of the game and should be removed.  I would understand if FIFA added something like this and NFHS followed, but I don't ever see FIFA changing rules like this.  I would love to know why this rule was added, maybe I just don't see a benefit that is there.

 

It is my understanding that FIFA changed to this interpretation last year.  If a player intentionally tries to play the ball and it goes to an opponent who was originally in an offside position, the opponent is not ruled offside.  The key is did the defender deliberately play the ball (it does not matter how well they play the ball).

[trebs]

Sorry EnsworthSoccer, I didn't realize you covered it.

[ChattanoogaCannon]

The offside rule "interpretation" was put in by FIFA 2 years ago. NFHS, whose rules Tennessee follows, added this interpretation this year. (As an aside, NFHS is always a year or two behind US Soccer, i.e., FIFA. An example is the new law that went into affect July 1 allowing the kick-off to go in any direction. I assume NFHS will adopt this rule next year).

 

The interpretation is not really new, just clarified. The law has not changed. Obviously offside causes confusion by folks that have never bothered to read the FIFA laws or the NFHS rules, and lots of arguing among those of us that have read them. The new interpretation is meant to clear up the offside confusion that occurs when a defender plays the ball. Everyone should know that if a defender deliberately plays the ball, an attacker in the offside position is free to play the ball with no offside infraction. ( the exception being a ball coming off a save by the keeper) The interpretation emphasizes "deliberate". As trebs says, the referee no longer has to judge if a defender played it well or not. The only question becomes did the defender attempt to play the ball? So, if a defender goes up to head the ball, and the ball goes back toward the goal, offside resets.

 

IMHO, the best way for a ref crew to handle this is not to raise the flag if a player score who is the offside position. The AR should stand stock still after the goal, so the center ref will have to go over to talk to the AR. Players should always play to the whistle. Nothing new here. How many goals have we all seen when players stop because they think an infraction has occurred? PLAY TO THE WHISTLE should be part of every coach's pregame instruction.

[NC80]

Thanks for the clarification guys. Still not a fan of putting a high school player in that position but since it aligns with whats going on at the top I can understand the change now.  When the younger kids get to the high school age it won't be an issue anymore...hopefully. 

I agree Champ, it will be very interesting to watch how players, parents, and referees proceed to identify and see this rule played out in a game.

[BigG]

The offside rule "interpretation" was put in by FIFA 2 years ago. NFHS, whose rules Tennessee follows, added this interpretation this year. (As an aside, NFHS is always a year or two behind US Soccer, i.e., FIFA. An example is the new law that went into affect July 1 allowing the kick-off to go in any direction. I assume NFHS will adopt this rule next year).

 

The interpretation is not really new, just clarified. The law has not changed. Obviously offside causes confusion by folks that have never bothered to read the FIFA laws or the NFHS rules, and lots of arguing among those of us that have read them. The new interpretation is meant to clear up the offside confusion that occurs when a defender plays the ball. Everyone should know that if a defender deliberately plays the ball, an attacker in the offside position is free to play the ball with no offside infraction. ( the exception being a ball coming off a save by the keeper) The interpretation emphasizes "deliberate". As trebs says, the referee no longer has to judge if a defender played it well or not. The only question becomes did the defender attempt to play the ball? So, if a defender goes up to head the ball, and the ball goes back toward the goal, offside resets.

 

IMHO, the best way for a ref crew to handle this is not to raise the flag if a player score who is the offside position. The AR should stand stock still after the goal, so the center ref will have to go over to talk to the AR. Players should always play to the whistle. Nothing new here. How many goals have we all seen when players stop because they think an infraction has occurred? PLAY TO THE WHISTLE should be part of every coach's pregame instruction.

Cannon,

 

We can holler "play the whistle" until we lose our voices, however players are naturally going to react to a linesman raising a flag for offsides.  In the emotion of a game, it's a natural reaction.

 

I saw 4 DIFFERENT incidences of this rule that were NOT called correctly just this weekend alone.  Since it didn't cause a goal or cause a goal to be called back, it wasn't a "big deal" however it raises the fact that this rule will be called completely differently each and every game.

 

I COMPLETELY agree with the rule in the interpretation of if a defender purposely plays a bad back pass, or a bad square pass, but to have a deflected header or a ball skimming off a mis-kick should be ruled differently.  If a player is offsides at the kick, the player should be called offsides (obviously if they are not involved in the play, they should not).  In our situation, the player was on the back side, the cross was to the back side, and my centerback mis hit it and it continued to the girl (who was offsides when the ball was played).

 

So now my players need to decide whether or not to risk playing a ball that they might or might not get to?  Because if they don't play it right, then there is a HUGE loss to the consequence of this.

 

Really easy for people to say "well, that's the rule"... well, just wait until it knocks you out of the play offs and then come let me know how you feel about it.

[ChattanoogaCannon]

Cannon,

 

We can holler "play the whistle" until we lose our voices, however players are naturally going to react to a linesman raising a flag for offsides.  In the emotion of a game, it's a natural reaction.

 

I saw 4 DIFFERENT incidences of this rule that were NOT called correctly just this weekend alone.  Since it didn't cause a goal or cause a goal to be called back, it wasn't a "big deal" however it raises the fact that this rule will be called completely differently each and every game.

 

I COMPLETELY agree with the rule in the interpretation of if a defender purposely plays a bad back pass, or a bad square pass, but to have a deflected header or a ball skimming off a mis-kick should be ruled differently.  If a player is offsides at the kick, the player should be called offsides (obviously if they are not involved in the play, they should not).  In our situation, the player was on the back side, the cross was to the back side, and my centerback mis hit it and it continued to the girl (who was offsides when the ball was played).

 

So now my players need to decide whether or not to risk playing a ball that they might or might not get to?  Because if they don't play it right, then there is a HUGE loss to the consequence of this.

 

Really easy for people to say "well, that's the rule"... well, just wait until it knocks you out of the play offs and then come let me know how you feel about it.

G, I'd love to hear about the 4 different incidences. It would help us all learn and educate others. There have been tons of meetings and discussions on the USSF side of things, but probably not many on the TSSAA side of things, though the topic was covered at the coaches' meeting in Chattanooga. To me, it makes things much simpler. You don't have to read the mind of a player as to their intentions. Sure, sometimes it is obvious that a player misplayed the ball, but sometimes it isn't. And eventually, it will lead to much greater consistency on the calls, which is the reason for the change.

 

I am not for or against this new interpretation, so I guess I am one of those people that say "well, that's the rule"  . I mean, most any interpretation can knock you out of the playoffs. A DOGSO rule (which is also changing btw), a handling call (how many times has that changed over the years), I could go on. Personally, I am thrilled that IFAB revamped the laws. The laws had grown into one of those houses that keep getting added on until you end with stairs to nowhere. 

[BigG]

After some lengthy discussion, the general consensus is that the "powers that be" want more goals to be scored, and this will certainly allow that.