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Originally Posted by IDref
Phatneff did not say that the center referee can not call offside, but should not.
In almost all pregames I've been given, or have given myself, I'm told or I tell my AR's that their primary responsibility is the offside call. Their position should be second to last defender or ball. The referee's position is not usually the one with the best position to determine if an offside infraction occured. But, upon advice from a properly placed AR, it is always the center referee who blows the whistle, stops play, and awards the indirect free kick.
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In a HS game earlier this week, the other AR clearly can not keep up with the dominating attacking team and judge offside.
Referee (knowing 90% of the play is happening in that half) shifts his positioning to be able to run close to with the defensive line on the far side from the AR. He signals to me to watch over the entire "other" half, in case of a quick clear, which he would be way out of position for.
But that can only happen because 90% of play is in one half. In a more competitive game, the referee can't afford to get so out of position and risk missing the other elements of the game, fouls misconduct etc.
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EXACTLY!! Thank you, IDref!
No offense, but it doesn't surprise me that I would get the response I got from the other two guys. Judging from all the responses that I've seen posted by you two (primarily Nevada), I wouldn't like to be a part of your crew. You (Nevada) seem to be a rules-based official, quoting rule references, and not seeming to officiate based on the play of the game. You seem to want to be in charge of the whole game. As the center, you are the "leader" of the crew, but you are not THE judge. If you think that you are going to make an offside call without the help of your AR, you are destined to lose respect from everyone else involved (AR, coaches, players, fans), whether you're correct or not in that ruling. It comes down to a point of ethics. Of course my pregame covers how I want them to make sure that the offside line is their primary responsibility. But, no matter how many times you say that, it doesn't mean that they will follow those directions. That's usually because they are out of shape and can't keep up, or they are too busy "watching" the game rather than officiating it. The ethical part is that everyone has a responsibility. If someone is not upholding his responsibility, you do your best to cover them.......within reason! Calling offside from a position that is not in line with the next to last defender is NOT within reason. You discuss this with the AR at halftime, after the game, or even at a dead ball instance in order to make everyone look like they are in the game. But you DON'T take over their responsibilities. Would you call out of bounds if you're thirty yards away and you THINK the ball went out, even though the AR is on the line?? I seriously hope not. If so, I feel sorry for the players for whom you officiate.
I am 34 for years old and have played soccer since I was 5. I still do, on an Amateur League team. I've been an official for over 10 years now, and have been on several State final and Regional crews. Being on both sides of the ball, I understand that human error is part of the game. One thing that a player DOES NOT LIKE is an official who will quote ruling entries but has no idea how the flow of a game should go. If I had my choice, as I guarantee 95% of all other players would, too, I would prefer to have an official who knows the rules, but not to a T, and who understands the flow of a game and knows when to say "I missed it. My bad." I do NOT want someone who makes rulings and decisions based upon what it says in THE BOOK.
Now, with all of that being said, if a player is cherry-picking down by the goalie and the ball gets played to him, and the AR fails to signal offside, then yes, I would call that on my own. Anything remotely close to being onside (by that, I mean even if they appear to be off by 20 yards), I leave to the AR.