A defensive player attempts to prevent a goal by handling the ball, but the ball has already crossed the goal line, and the referee awards a goal. Since the awarding of the goal means the ball is 'dead', should the defensive player still be given a red card?
Answer -
The offense for which you would send off a player is denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball. In the situation that you cited, the goal has not been denied, so you would not send the player off, but you must decide whether you are going to caution the player for unsporting behavior. If the player deliberately handles the ball in an attempt to deny a goal or a goal opportunity, but a goal is still scored, caution the player. If the player handles the ball after it has crossed the goal line and a goal is scored, there is no misconduct. Talk to the player so that he understands that you do not condone what he has attempted to do.
If an offensive player is closer to the goal than the ball and the second-to-last defender, and the ball comes to him off a header by the defense, is the offensive player offside?
Answer -
Assuming that the ball had been played by a teammate of the player in an offside position before the opponent intervened, the referee must decide if the play by the opponent was a deflection or a purposeful play by him. If the referee decides it was a deflection, the player in the offside position who received the ball is offside. If the play by the defender was, for example, an attempted pass to a teammate, the attacker in the offside position who received the ball is not offside because the ball was not last played by a teammate.
An offensive player sends a long pass to the left side of the 18-yard-line. When the ball is played, a teammate is just past the halfway line and running on the left side of the field, but is closer to the goal than the ball and the second to last defender. Before this offensive player can reach the ball, the keeper receives the ball. Is the offensive player offside?
Answer -
The three criteria that must be met to declare a player offside are:
1. Player must be in an offside position
2. When the ball is touched by a teammate
3. And the player must either
- interfere with play
- interfere with an opponent
-gain an advantage by being in an offside position.
In your example, the first two criteria are met, but, since the keeper took possession of the ball, the third criteria is not met. The player would not be declared offside.
However, if the keeper bobbles the ball and a loss of control or a collision seems imminent, raise your flag or blow your whistle for offside.
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