AboutJohn Cummings Expertise Do you have a call made by the referee in last week`s match puzzling you? Are you a referee who may not be certain that what was done was the right thing to do? I shall be glad to entertain any questions about officiating soccer. The more the players, coaches and supporters understand the referee and his/her decisions, the more fun we can have on the pitch.
Experience After coaching my son's travel team, I have been USSF State Referee, State Assessor, Assignor and State Instructor in addition to having been a college NISOA referee,a NISOA clinician, a NISOA assessor and a high school referee.
Question The off side rule (OSR) is the number one thing that turns people off to soccer. I've played in south america growing up and up into college, so I know the game well. But I have to agree w the critis of the OSR in that it adds absolutely nothing to the game, instead it's a score killer. What sport has a rule that benefits the defense? That is absurd. Beside its absurdity, it is easy to missapply it. Refs and sideline judges make constant erros that are clearly shown in replay. Is there anything that can be done to eliminate this rule?
Answer Offside was one of the early rules from about 1863 when it required three defenders between the attacker and the goal line.
It was meant to prevent "cherry picking" where an attacker could just stand near the goal and take a pass to make a quick, close shot on goal while doing nothing to earn that goal scoring opportunity.
The law if difficult to apply properly, but it can be done with referees concentrating on the task. The smallest distraction or inattention can cause a bad call by the assistant referee. Should we make a law based on mistakes? I don't think so.
I agree the score may go up, but the skill level may suffer.
Just my personal opinion - not an official statement by any means.
