Defensive handball vs offside

[one]

A player in an offside position is passed the ball by a team mate and plays the ball. The ball, on its way is touched by an opponent's arm, not deliberately. However the opponent's arm had made their body unnaturally bigger at the time.

Is this an offside offence?

 

[JamesL]

A question I asked IFAB back in January

I took from their reply that an accidental handball would not negate offside so you would have to award a DFK or PK for the non deliberate handling offense.

 

[socal lurker]

Personally, I think this answer is nonsense, but it is clearly what the language of Law 12 today says. For a long time, making oneself unnaturally bigger was conisidered a form of deliberate handling. Now it isn’t. Anyone remember —-I thought the language about deliberate handling resetting OS came before the language in Law 12 that made “biggering” separate from deliberately handling. Which suggests this was an unintentional change by IFAB. And just imagine if this actually happens in a big game and the PK is missed….

 

[CaptainsPlease]

Surely the 'unnaturally bigger' handball offence would occur before the offside offence in this scenario? Therefore the handball should be penalised. (Unless I am misreading something?)

 

[JamesL]

Surely the 'unnaturally bigger' handball offence would occur before the offside offence in this scenario? Therefore the handball should be penalised. (Unless I am misreading something?)

Yes but a deliberate handball is considered a deliberate play, so the question was asking if unnaturally bigger offence constituted a deliberate handball for the purposes of deliberate play and offside.

 

[CaptainsPlease]

Yes but a deliberate handball is considered a deliberate play, so the question was asking if unnaturally bigger offence constituted a deliberate handball for the purposes of deliberate play and offside.

Practically then does that only matter when considering advantage?

If 'unnaturally bigger handball' is considered not deliberately playing the ball (which I believe is correct), then you can't apply advantage because of the offside offence that follows, so must take it back and penalise the handball.

If 'unnaturally bigger handball' was considered deliberately playing the ball then there is no offside offence so you can apply advantage for the handball.

 

[one]

Practically then does that only matter when considering advantage?

If 'unnaturally bigger handball' is considered not deliberately playing the ball (which I believe is correct), then you can't apply advantage because of the offside offence that follows, so must take it back and penalise the handball.

If 'unnaturally bigger handball' was considered deliberately playing the ball then there is no offside offence so you can apply advantage for the handball.

And that's the crux of the OP. If it happens in your game do you play advantage or don't you.?

@socal lurker explained what the issue is and @JamesL's email means IFAB should know about the issue though I am not sure they have figured it out from their response.