Source: Daily_Mail
Graham Poll: The offside rule explained for Hansen, McCarthy and the rest of us
An electrician knows that if he gets his wires crossed, there may be a big bang. A zoo keeper knows that if he enters the lions' den at the wrong time, he won't come back for seconds. So why do so many football people not know the rules of their business?[LNB] Alan Hansen on the Match of the Day couch and Wolves manager Mick McCarthy are decent and honest football men. But they are the latest to admit they do not understand the laws of the game. In particular, the offside rule.[LNB] Learning curve: Mick McCarthy (left) and Alan Hansen are just the latest in a long line of 'experts' who confess they don't understand the offside rule[LNB]Maybe they are not alone. But it's really quite simple.[LNB]FIFA clarified the offside law - or rather the interpretation of it - to ensure less interference from match officials, in order to achieve a greater advantage for attackers and more goals. It is relatively easy to explain. Here's how it works:[LNB]A player is in an offside position if he is nearer to his opponents' goal-line than the ball and the second last opponent (usually the last defender), unless he is in his own half. If the attacker is level, he is onside.[LNB]Most people also realise that a player cannot be offside from a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner, so now all we need to do is define when the offside position becomes an offence:[LNB]It is when, in the referee's opinion, at the moment the ball is played or touches one of his team, a player is either interfering with play or an opponent, or gaining an advantage by being in that position.[LNB]The interpretation of those three points led to misunderstanding and inconsistent application and so the International FA Board made decisions which defined those criteria. They decreed that:[LNB]Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate.Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.Gaining an advantage by being in that position means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a goal-post or the crossbar having been in an offside position or playing the ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position.So, unless a player touches the ball he is not interfering with play. It's that simple and whether referees or assistants agree with that definition is irrelevant, they have to apply the law. Moreover, whether you or managers or pundits like it, that is how FIFA insist the offside law is applied.[LNB] Innocent: Craig Bellamy was correctly considered to be onside in the build-up that led to Manchester City's second goal at Wolves.[LNB]When Manchester City scored their second goal, Craig Bellamy was initially offside, but NOT interfering with play. For the second phase of the attack, he was onside. End of debate.[LNB]The oft repeated quote from the late, great Double-winning Spurs manager, Bill Nicholson that 'If he's not interfering with play, what's he doing on the pitch?' is cited after a situation like Bellamy's at Molineux but it should be remembered that it is more than 40 years old. The game has moved on and so must we all.[LNB] GRAHAM POLL: Why the fourth official was right to sort Wolves' yellow perilGraham Poll: The referee's a cheater? What a load of rubbishGRAHAM POLL: Why refs must stand up to baiters like Craig Bellamy and Mark Noble[LNB] [LNB]
