I’m confused by football decisions where a pass touches a defender before reaching an attacker who was in an offside position when the teammate played the ball.
In one match, a defender stretched out a leg, made contact, and the attacker was still penalised. In another, a defender’s attempted clearance went straight to the attacker and play continued. Both touches looked intentional to me.
Under the offside law, what separates deliberate play from a deflection? Does the defender need control of the ball, or can a badly executed clearance still count as deliberate play?
I’d also like to understand how a deliberate save affects offside. Is stopping a shot treated differently from trying to intercept a pass, even if an outfield defender makes the touch?
