A&H

Player becomes active by kicking in OS position and YC for delaying restart

santa sangria

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Watching Leeds today (slow day, couldn't wait for Brighton - Seagulls!).

Leeds ahead, 10 mins to go.

Leeds striker latches on to a long ball. He obviously was in an offside position when the ball was played. Flag and whistle go for offside decision. Striker kicks ball and scores with one touch elegant lob.

So the game context is that Leeds want to waste time. The officials have called the offside way before the player has become active - which is very common in Prem/Champo - which is not what is asked for according to the laws. There is no potential GK collision here.

In this case it is an easy caution for delaying the restart. Because the whistle has gone so early. I hope you get my unease here. This case seemed to be a major disadvantage to Leeds. Surely, under the laws, you are not active until you kick the leather (or interfere etc.) so in these striker-alone-in-space-from-offside position surely the striker has "a right" (I know terrible phrasing) to take a touch or a hoof before the flag/whistle...?

My point here of course is that the "wait and see" is totally daft because of these scenarios. As AR we are basically forced to flag far to early in a lot of cases when there is only one striker chasing a ball from an offside starting position... the law is really flawed here...

(this is part one, part two is gonna be about strikers coming back from an offside position to tackle a defender who has just controlled the attempted through ball)
 
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Not sure I get where you are coming from. He was clearly in an offside position, he has gone to play the ball, and then after the whistle has been blown he has kicked the ball 30 yards away, albeit it into the goal.

Regardless of the offside law, the only question here is did he delay the restart of play, and the only possible answer can be yes.
 
No, he wasn't anywhere close to the ball when the offside was given. That's my point. He was 8-10 yards away. Theoretically could have stopped and never become active. See this every televised game in the prem. Diagonal ball. AR flags lone striker heading for the ball towards the sideline - flagging when the striker is still 8-10 yards away.

Surely the offence should not be called until the player becomes active. Surely the attacker has to kick the ball to become active in these lone striker situations... surely YC for first kick hoof is "impossible" by the laws... ?
 
I watched this in the full pub before our game and it was in the part of a meandering game where Leeds were time wasting at any opportunity to run the clock down. Once the whistle goes he should stop, it certainly looked offside from my first and only viewing. Player did see to carry on and waste time in showing off with the chip. Either just before or just after another Leeds player was booked for a less obvious ball grab and throw it in the air routine at another FK so it was all done in the context of Leeds hanging on and wasting time as a team...
 
I watched this in the full pub before our game and it was in the part of a meandering game where Leeds were time wasting at any opportunity to run the clock down. Once the whistle goes he should stop, it certainly looked offside from my first and only viewing. Player did see to carry on and waste time in showing off with the chip. Either just before or just after another Leeds player was booked for a less obvious ball grab and throw it in the air routine at another FK so it was all done in the context of Leeds hanging on and wasting time as a team...
I fully agree that, having blown the whistle, the YC was justified.

What about that question of whether the whistle was too early and if the officials should have waited until he kicked it...?
 
It was a busy pub full on celebrating Blades, I don't know if and when the whistle happened I couldn't hear anything!!!

Sheffield double anyone!!!! COYRAWW
 
We need more referees cautioning in these scenarios!!
But as for the flag - when these offside law changes first came into effect a few years back, FIFA agreed that in a case where there's only 1 attacker running for the ball, he was in an offside position, and there's no chance of it going out or being intercepted first, then we can raise the flag early. Because delaying is just pointless there.
 
Just for the avoidance of any doubt, that is still the advice in the 2016-17 edition of the Laws. On page 194, it states:

A player in an offside position may be penalised before playing or touching the ball, if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an onside position has the opportunity to play the ball.

So in answer @santa sangria's earlier question - no, the officials don't have to wait until he kicks it.
 
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