Aston Villa boss Dean Smith welcomes new guidance on offside law
Villa boss Dean Smith has welcomed new guidance for Premier League referees over the offside law – but joked he doesn’t expect to get his money back.
Smith was fined £8,000 and served a one-match touchline ban for his protests after Bernardo Silva’s controversial goal for Manchester City against Villa last week, which sparked huge discussion over a perceived loophole in the rules.
Silva scored after Rodri challenged Villa defender Tyrone Mings while returning from an offside position.
Premier League officiating body PGMOL, following talks with the sport’s lawmakers Ifab and Uefa, has now issued fresh guidance to referees to prevent such incidents happening again.
Asked if he expected his cheque to be returned in the post, Smith quipped: “I don’t think there is any chance of that!”
He continued: “I don’t think that law was ever designed to be interpreted as it was.
“You can’t be seen to seek an advantage from an offside position and come and challenge for the ball. I’m pleased the interpretation of that law being changed and rightly so.”
The new guidance, which PGMOL believe is in the best represents the spirit of the offside law, states: “Where a player in an offside position immediately impacts on an opponent who has deliberately played the ball, the match officials should prioritise challenging an opponent for the ball, and thus the offside offence of ‘interfering with an opponent by impacting on the opponent’s ability to play the ball’ should be penalised.”
Players can still be played onside when receiving a misplaced backpass or when they make a deliberate attempt to play the ball unchallenged.
Villa profited from that particular interpretation during Saturday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle, when Ollie Watkins netted after Magpies defender Fabian Schar had tried and failed to cut out a cross.
A PGMOL statement explained: “If a similar situation to the one involving Rodri’s impact on Mings occurred in a future match, then the impact would be penalised for offside.
“However, it is important to remember that where a player in an offside position receives the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball (e.g. a misplaced pass or miskick), including by deliberate handball, the player is not considered to have gained an advantage, unless it was a deliberate save by any opponent.”
Smith was charged by the FA for using insulting language toward a match official, for which he was also sent-off by referee Jon Moss his protest at Silva’s goal.
The Villa boss received a yellow card for asking fourth official David Coote whether the officials had received ‘juggling balls for Christmas’. He was then shown a red card by Moss for a further comment toward the referee.
After watching the win over Newcastle from the stands, Smith will be back in the dugout for tonight’s trip to Burnley.
