A player (Team A) makes a long pass towards a forward (Team A) who is in an offside position, close to the opponents’ penalty area. A defender (Team B) also chases after the ball and kicks it first while running (limited contact with the ball in the air). After that, the forward receives the ball and passes it to a team-mate who scores a goal. What is the correct decision?

Question

Accepted Answer

The referee disallows the goal for an offside offence. The defender’s contact with the ball is not considered to be ‘deliberate play’ because they were not in control of the ball and had no possibility of clearing it by kicking. Although the ball travelled from distance, the defender was running without time to coordinate their body movement.