Offside - Freekick or play advantage?

[jertzee]

Had an incident in a girls U-13 match, whereby an attacking player was in an offside position, and she was the only player that the ball could have been played to (i.e. she didn't have to touch the ball for the offside to be given).

She was very close to the goal area and had not yet touched the ball but to prevent having to disallow a goal I blew for a freekick.

As it was the goalkeeper got to the ball first, inside the goal area.

Now to me, by giving the freekick I was punishing the team defending, because they would have had to take a freekick from inside the goal area - and at this age the goal kicks do not go that far outside the penalty area.

As it was, I told the goalie to play on (after I had blown my whistle) which gave her the opportunity to drop kick it out from the edge of the penalty area.

Common sense wise it may have been the correct decision but should I have stuck to my decision and forced the free kick to be taken as I had blown my whistle?

Or was I able to change my mind due to the fact that play had not restarted with the freekick?

I don't think I would have made a different decision had it been an open age game.

 

[SM]

Once you blew, it needed to come back for the foul. The idea to blow early was a sensible one as there was no advantage as the player was offside.

You seem to have got away with it though Once the whistle is blown, game stops until it is correctly restarted.

 

[Mick.]

As above. You can't tell the goalie to play on as you have stopped the play. I know it seems like you have disadvantaged the defenders but you are there to apply the laws. Its not your fault that the keeper can't kick that far.

 

[Matthew]

As the others have said, once you've blown the whistle you must restart play with an IFK. You did make the right decision to blow early, always blow unless you're absolutely certain that the ball is going to run through to the keeper.

 

[MattyontheWhistle]

If she was going for the ball (chasing it) and there was the slightest chance of a clash or challenge on the keeper, the blowing the whistle was correct. Once blown, the correct re-start would be the free-kick.