FRANCE vs Spain UNL Final Mbappe Offside

[Martiju]

The other one was a player who was such a gentleman and incredibly good player for age/level (u16). He never complained or shouted for anything in the matches I have ref'ed him, but he did in this recent one. He claimed the ball nicked the defender as the defender challenged for the ball, but the ball continued on to a player who was in an offside position. I called offside but the player wasn't happy because "it touched the defender". I didn't see the touch hence I called it, but even if I had of, I probably would have called offside anyway as the defender was challenging for the ball, so I wouldn't see that a deliberate play of the ball.

Whatever way you call it, someone won't be happy. Story of our lives.

That sounds like one where you had to be there - but of course that is precisely why we are there, to interpret the laws (as they stand) and apply them to what is happening.

As you say, story of our lives, but also why having qualified officials is an absolute necessity!

 

[socal lurker]

As I recall, there was a IFAB or UEFA memo about how to draw the distinction between a play and a deflection and it had a set of factors that would point each way. Key factors included time and whether the defender moved to the ball or reacted to a ball coming from close with no time to move to it. In broad brush, IFAB seems to expect that if a defender moves toward the path of a ball (as opposed to a jab at a ball passing by) and makes contact, that is a deliberate play that resets OS.

And of course in grass roots games, players don't expect that. I still here "three of them are offside" when a ball is played forward, as many people have no clue about how involvement in active play has narrowed over the last decade or so.

As someone alluded to above, it used to be far more expansive, as Law 11 used to deem a player active for seeking to gain an advantage. OS would get called on a ball played toward a player in OSP, even if the ball never got there, as it would get called when the ball was played toward him. (And back then, being even with the 2LD was OSP.) What we have now is far from perfect--and it will never be perfect as there will always be border cases that seem unfair, regardless of where the line is drawn. IMO, what we have now is better for the Game than what it used to be, though I would prefer to see what constitutes a play be a defender tightened down.