The offside rule is the shortest out of all 17 football laws, according to FIFA. Law 11 of the FIFA rules still remains the most misunderstood rule in football. It has brought tears to many spectators and even players, but it has also brought great joy to some fans and clubs as a whole. Either way someone will shed tears, whether tears of joy or tears of sorrow.
Put simply, the law goes as follows: a player is in an offside position if, at the moment the ball is played by anyone in the attacking team and another attacking player, in the opinion of the referee, is involved in active play by interfering with the ball, is interfering with an opponent or gaining an advantage by being in that position.
However, there are three more conditions that have to be met before a player can be judged offside. The player has to be in the opponents' half of the field, the player must be in front of the ball and lastly, there must be fewer than two opposing players between the attacking player and the opposing goal line.
This sounds like a theoretical description of the goal that won Kaizer Chiefs the 2013 edition of the Carling Black Label Cup. Kaizer Chiefs striker Lehlohonolo Majoro's goal was allowed to stand, even though he was in a clear offside position. He was simply the furthest player forward, in the goalkeepers line of sight, and gained an advantage by being in that position as he scored.
Read: Chiefs Beat Bucs To Carling Cup
For those of you who watched it, you were probably all thinking the same thing…Offside! It brought agony to the Bucs faithful, while at the same time, continuous glory reclaimed by the mighty Amakhosi.
Click here to watch the highlights of Majoro's goal!
There is one element to the offside rule which will always have us debating the same old call, over and over. The referee's discretion…
It's basically up to the referee and his assistants to decide whether or not a player is actively involved in play, or whether or not the player isn't disturbing a defender and/or goalkeeper's line of sight. Having watched the replay of Majoro's goal, he was clearly active and should've been deemed offside. Would the referee have blown his whistle if there was more clarity regarding the offside rule?
There was no question as to whether or not he was in an offside position. It was clear to the referee, his assistant, the fans and the Pirates defence. What more than likely may have kept the referee and his assistant from making the correct decision is that doubt in the rule, and before you know it, you are forced into a split second decision. That's when most referees get it wrong. Let's face it, when a referee has loads of time to make a call, they get it right 99% of the time. When it's a clear cut decision, they get it right 99.9% of the time. If there was more clarity on the offside rule, wouldn't offside decisions be more accurate?
If you are part of the Bucs faithful that shed tears of sorrow, I feel your pain. If you are part of the mighty Amakhosi fans, then congratulations on reclaiming the glory once again.
By: Julian Bailey
Follow Julian on Twitter: @kwetsa_89
