If a defender deliberately kicks the ball towards a teammate who is in an offside position, what is the correct decision?

When a defender deliberately kicks the ball towards a teammate who is in an offside position, the critical factor to consider is the intent behind the defender's action. In this situation, the defender has deliberately played the ball, which means that the laws of the game recognize that the offside position should be assessed in this context.

According to the Laws of the Game, a player is considered to be in an offside position if they are nearer to the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent when the ball is played. However, a player cannot be penalized for being in an offside position unless they become involved in active play, which typically occurs when they receive the ball from an opponent's play.

In this specific scenario, since the defender’s action was deliberate and directed towards a teammate, it negates the offside position of the teammate, because the offside rule only applies when the ball is played by an opponent. The appropriate decision is thus to penalize the player who is in an offside position for being in that position, as they are gaining an advantage from it.

Therefore, penalizing the player who was offside is aligned with the principles set out in the Laws of the Game regarding