Offside rule

Don't know if someone already posted about this. Just saw Wednesday's own goal vs Watford on Quest

Wednesday player only plays the ball because there's a Watford player in an offside position behind him. Linesman flags for offside but referee overrules - presumably on the basis the Watford player didn't actually touch the ball. Absolutely bonkers - so now apparently players have to make their own judgment call about whether a player is potentially offside and adjust their play accordingly.

Judge for yourself:

Obviously it's hard to find this too upsetting given the team involved - but I'd be fuming if this happened to us

 

I don’t think you can say that the defender only played the ball because he knew it was offside. I’d say quite the opposite - he was trying to prevent the ball reaching the Watford player behind him.

 

Isn't that player he's trying to prevent it reaching the offside one though?

 

That means that he did only play the ball because there was a player offside behind him doesn't it?

If there was no player offside behind him he had nobody to try to stop the ball reaching

 

Exactly this, so the player becomes offside because he’s involved in play... poor Wednesday.

 

Lol totally agree the the player was offside interfering with play, as it made the defender feel like he had to play the ball, but its Wednesday lmao sooner they are back to where they really belong the better.

 

It's a shame for em, innit.

 

Ah Bless

 

Ironical that, if Lees had left it and the Watford forward had scored, it would have been disallowed. Almost as bad as Dean Gorre's goal at Colchester being disallowed, because Rory Fallon decided to make sure and knock it in on the line. Long delay - flag goes up - disallowed. And it was last minute, so would have won the game.

 

I thought the directive was for the player in the offside position had to take hold of the ball, he did not so the goal stood.

 

This how I see it, defender tries to play this because he's aware there's a Watford player behind him. His actions are irrespective of the Watford forward being on or offside.

Edited in: he becomes active if he tries to play the ball. I'm not sure he gets the opportunity to try and play the ball.

 

But under the old rules the Watford player would have already been flagged and play stopped. How can a player whose presence forces the defender into having to attempt a clearance not be active? If he'd been over by the corner flag then fair enough, but in that case the defender would probably have got a call and left it.

 

Absolutely agree.

I think the thing that sums up how ridiculous the current situation is is that the referee and linesman had different interpretations of the rule, and then when they discussed in the quest studio nobody seemed to be sure of the actual rule either.

I think most people would agree that if someone in an offside position causes a player to take an action they otherwise wouldn't have taken it should be rules offside. If for whatever reason the FA have issued guidance that causes that to be in doubt they need to sort it out quickly.

Similar thing happened in a Man City game earlier in the year with Gundogan which they came out after and clarified should have been deemed offside. Whatever guidance they have issued to officials this season is an absolute mess.

 

Surely he's interfering with play isn't he? He's not jogging back or static on the touchline.

 

Wednesday lost. End of discussion

 

and you play to the whistle, simple!

 

They say a camel is a horse designed by a committee.
The offside law is a camel.

 

A good three or four yards onside for me

 

Under current rules the goal has been awarded correctly.
If he had touched the ball, or challenged the defender it would have been offside.