Russell Jones
RefChat Addict
For the same reasons as @socal lurker and @Big Cat I'm in the Offside camp here. For those with the time and energy, here's a link to (some of) the videos circulated by IFAB at the time of the change.
https://red.fifa.com/play/video/13004/11FRA-CHINotdeliberateplay-heading?cId=16
The most relevant ones to this debate are probably numbers 11 and 12. As others have said, despite the written guidelines that @RustyRef correctly quotes, the video guidance is clear that in heading situations, unless the defender makes a complete balls up of the play for no good reason, the balance of probability is that this will be classed as an uncontrolled play and therefore non deliberate. Overall the shift of this "clarification" means that we are favouring the defenders far more than in previous years.
In other news, I'm very reliably led to believe (being in New Zealand helps!) that the referee was initially told (twice) by VAR that the play was clear and it was this that led to the confusion over play restarting
https://red.fifa.com/play/video/13004/11FRA-CHINotdeliberateplay-heading?cId=16
The most relevant ones to this debate are probably numbers 11 and 12. As others have said, despite the written guidelines that @RustyRef correctly quotes, the video guidance is clear that in heading situations, unless the defender makes a complete balls up of the play for no good reason, the balance of probability is that this will be classed as an uncontrolled play and therefore non deliberate. Overall the shift of this "clarification" means that we are favouring the defenders far more than in previous years.
In other news, I'm very reliably led to believe (being in New Zealand helps!) that the referee was initially told (twice) by VAR that the play was clear and it was this that led to the confusion over play restarting