Additional guidance

Offside Delaying the flag / Deliberate play / Interference

9 Sep 2024

In this section all phases of offside will be explained, including laws around the rule.

Delay

Clear opportunity to score or very obvious attacking phase and tight judgement for onside/offside.

No delay

-Play going out to the wing
-Possible attack - not a clear or immediate one
-AR is certain that attacker is clearly in an offside position, and there is no risk of error

Deliberate play

International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA guidelines for distinguishing between ‘deliberate play’ and ‘deflection’:

‘Deliberate play’ is when a player has control of the ball with the possibility of:

-passing the ball to a team-mate; or
-gaining possession of the ball; or
-clearing the ball (e.g. by kicking
or heading it)

If the pass, attempt to gain possession or clearance by the player in control of the ball is inaccurate or unsuccessful, this does not negate the fact that the player ‘deliberately played’ the ball.

Practical interpretation - 'deliberately played'

Considerations for determining ‘uncontrolled action’
(not deliberate play)

-The ball travelled from short distance and/or the player does not have a clear view of it
-The ball was moving quickly
-The direction of the ball was unexpected
-The player had limited or no time to coordinate their body movement, i.e. clearly a case of instinctive stretching or jumping, or a movement that achieved limited contact/control

Interference

Law 11 Offside, states that: A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:

interfering with an opponent by:

-preventing an opponent from playing
or being able to play the ball by clearly
obstructing the opponent’s line of
vision

-challenging an opponent for the ball

-clearly attempting to play a ball which
is close when this action impacts on
an opponent

-making an obvious action which
clearly impacts on the ability of
an opponent to play the ball

Contents:

VAR
VAR Improvement Plan
Decision-making process
What VAR cannot do
Threshold for VAR intervention
Attacking Possession Phase
Semi-Automated Offside Technology

Participant Behaviour Charter
Context for Change
Core Principles
Regulatory

Updates for Season 2024/25
Effective Playing Time – Allowance for time lost
Effective Playing Time – Calculation of Additional Time
Effective Playing Time – Delaying the restart
Effective Playing Time – Managing momentum
Handball – Interpretation
Holding
Blocking
Denying a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity
Penalty kicks
IFAB Trial