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Law #11		Law #11 Extra
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Optical Trickery and Offside Calls

Animation of what is... +- OFF-SIDE -+ +- OFF-SIDE ~ FULL PAGE-+

Mental Exercises... +- OFF-SIDE-STUDY -+ +- OFF-SIDE-STUDY ~ FULL PAGE-+

Julian Carosi has published a paper on the history of offside in PDF... +- Julian Carosi ~ PDF -+

This is a humorous explanation of OFFSIDE with John Cleese (of Monty Python fame).

This Video from the... Ken Aston Referee Society - Channel

Questions and Answers:

This web site and the advice and answers to any questions are not sanctioned by or affiliated with any governing body of soccer. The opinions expressed on this site should not be considered official interpretations of the Laws of the Game. Although the content of the latest Laws are included on this site, the majority of the content is the opinion of the Webmaster and other Referees worldwide. If you need an official ruling you should contact your local representative/association or visit the FIFA, or the English FA web sites for the Laws themselves.

Questions and Answers

Question 1: Surely, when defenders purposefully run up field to catch an attacker in an offside position - isn't this using 'trickery' and against the spirit of the game?

Answer 1: Offside is the most complex of all the Laws - yet it is the Law that makes football (soccer) the best game in the World. The intricacies of the Offside Law are used to the fullest effect by both participating teams, and are an integral - and very much accepted - part of the game. Without it, the game would never have developed to be so exciting. Changes to Law 11 (Offside) are rarely made. Only the slightest Law amendment will dramatically effect the play action. Law 11 has developed over the years to its finite state. The result of a match very often depends on when offside are given (or not given). This is a very exciting part of the game, where even the honest mistakes made by the match officials add to the passion of all those involved. The ability to judge offside is no easy matter. The Referee and Assistant Referees have to take into account the moment the ball was played, who played it, the position of the players at that precise moment, and whether or not there was any involvement in active play.

By fairly manipulating Law 11, defenders can quickly move up field with the aim of catching attacking players offside. Conversely, attackers can use this maneuver to their advantage when timing their runs towards goal. The use of diagonal runs by oncoming attacking players often 'beats' the defenders' offside trap - attackers need to time their runs (past the second last defender) with finite precision at the moment the ball is kicked forwards by their team-mate. More experienced attackers can just listen for when the ball is kicked before making their run forwards (this trick is also used by the more experienced Assistant Referees when assessing offside), but it takes some bit of time to develop this skill. Coaches use the offside maneuver to try and outwit attackers and strike a balance between pushing up too far, and not pushing up far enough. Defenders have become very adept at waiting until the very last possible moment before stepping up the field to catch their opponents offside. This maneuver is carefully timed, so that the step up field is made before the attacking team plays the ball forward.

The speed of the converging attackers and defenders makes it very difficult for 'close' offside decisions to be made with consistent accuracy. If you consider that humans can run 100 yards in less than 10 seconds, it can only takes 1 second to run 10 yards (the distance across a normal sized room). When you have two sets of players (defenders and attackers) running in opposite directions at such a speed, it is no wonder that off sides are very often given wrongly. The human eye is not capable of deciphering such quick movements, particularly if you are also looking at other aspects of the game at the same time or there are a number of players bunched together in your line of sight. (So don't lose any sleep if you think you have made a wrong decision). This is what makes the game so exciting. And this is why the use of cameras to decide offside decisions should be strongly rejected. It is the mistakes made by humans (Referees and players) that actually make the game what it is. Take this element away, and football will never be the same.

So to answer the question. Offside maneuvers by both sets of players, is part of the game, and not 'trickery' or against the spirit of the game.

Question 2a: If a second last defending player moves beyond his goal line and steps off the field of play in order to place an attacking opponent in an offside position, is that attacking opponent then offside because he is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent?

Answer 2a: No. The Referee allows play to continue and cautions the defender when the ball next goes out of play. The attacking player is not deemed offside if the second last defender steps off the field of play with the sole (unsporting) purpose to try and get the Referee to stop play for an offside against the attacker. He, to place the attacker in an offside position, purposefully did the unsporting action by the defender. Play should be allowed to continue. The attacker in this instance had not infringed any of the Laws and should therefore not be penalized for being offside - he should not be punished for an act of trickery committed by the defending opponent. The Referee should assume that the defender is ON the field of play at the point on the goal line nearest to where he stepped outside the goal line boundary - thus putting the attacker onside. The defending player can be cautioned by the Referee (for unsporting behavior, because he used a deliberate trick to circumvent the spirit of the game). The defending player can also be cautioned for leaving the field of play without receiving the Referee's permission. The Referee in instances of this nature must use common sense where a player has used trickery to pervert the spirit of the Laws. If a goal is subsequently scored - then the goal counts. Like most instances in a match, the issue here is the defender's 'intention' - and in this case, by purposefully stepping off the field of play, the defender's intention was to gain an advantage by circumventing Law 11. A defender still counts as a defender even if they purposefully step off the field of play at the goal line or the touchline. It is considered unsporting behavior for a defender to try to put an attacker in an offside position by purposefully leaving the field of play.

The defending player above may actually commit three caution able offences:

- (a) Unsporting behavior for using trickery.

- (b) Leaving the field of play without obtaining the Referee's permission.

- (c) Re-entering the field of play without obtaining the Referee's permission.

It is therefore possible for this player to be sent-off for least two caution able offences.

The correct action to be taken is for play to be allowed to continue, and for the defender to be cautioned when the ball next goes out of play (UK/RA).

Attackers in an offside position can indicate that they are passive, by moving away from the goal or stepping off the field of play (attackers doing this should not be cautioned or penalized for being offside) but defenders are not permitted to do this in order to put an attacker in an offside position. This maneuver by an attacking player, is very often seen when an attacker shoots towards goal, and another attacking colleague who by his momentum is very near the goal line, moves out off the way and off the field of play. So long at he has not interfered with the goalkeeper or another defender, he should not be penalized for being offside.

Attacking players re-entering the field after leaving it (thus indicating that they are now active), must be careful upon re-entry, as there is a chance they may attempt to gain an advantage by this maneuver, and unfairly rejoin play. If they do so, then the Referee should award the offside because the oncoming player had gained an advantage by stepping off the field of play, and rejoining play unfairly.

Note: Although the area under the goal net is not part of the field of play, if a defender ends up standing in the goal area behind the goal line and under the goal net and behind the goalkeeper, and the ball is crossed into the goal area - the Referee should assume that the defender is ON the field of play at the point on the goal line between the goal posts, nearest to where he stepped outside the goal line under the net - thus putting any attackers onside.

Question 2b: (Provided by Dougie Conners (28 Jan 2011)

Player 'A' standing outside of the field of play takes a corner kick and plays it short to nearby colleague 'B'.
Player 'A' does not re-enter the field of play immediately. The ball is stopped dead by colleague 'B', and the corner kick taker player 'A' re-enters the field and whips the ball into the goal area. To simplify things - let us assume that there are no defenders on the goal line when the ball is stopped. Should the Referee give offside against player 'A', who after taking the taking the corner kick, comes onto the field of play and rejoins the active play?

Answer 2b: Wow, I hope that I never have to face this one in real life!

- (i) When the kick is taken, the corner kick taker (player 'A') who is standing outside of the field of play was not in an offside position - because the ball is out of play, and play only resumes when the ball is touched and moves.

- (ii) As soon as player 'A' touches and moves the ball, it comes into play and normal rules apply. At this point, player 'A' withdraws his foot from inside the field of play and purposefully remains totally outside of the field of play. Remember - player 'A' must have put even a small part of his foot into the field of play for the corner kick to be taken correctly. The spirit of the game then obliges him, to re-enter the field of play fairly. If he does not enter the field of play immediately, and is seeking to involve himself with active play at the appropriate moment, player 'A' is deemed to have gained an advantage by purposefully remaining outside of the field of play. In this instance, the Referee should assume that player 'A' is ON the field of play at the point on the goal line (or touch line) nearest to where he remains outside the field boundary.

- (iii) When player 'A' re-enters the field of play, he has infringed the offside Law by:

Gaining an advantage by being in that position (purposefully off the field of play)
He is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent
A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball touched or is played by one of his team mates, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play - and in this case, player 'A' is definitely involved in active play, and therefore offside.

Had player 'A' remained off the field of play, and not involved himself in the active play - then he would not have been penalized. But because he re-entered the field of play at that precise moment, and involved himself in the active play, he unfairly circumvented the offside Law 11 - and this cannot be allowed to happen.

The easiest way for a Referee to remember this application is to regard the active player 'A' as being on the field of play - whether he immediately comes into the field or not. He is obliged to play in a sporting manner - and whether he does this knowingly or not does not matter. The bottom line is, that he had gained an advantage by either his trickery, or his lack of Law 11 knowledge.

If a team taking a corner kick decide to place two men outside the field of play, one left footer to swing it inwards, and one right footer to swing it outwards, there is nothing in the Laws to prevent them doing this. There is nothing in the Laws to state that only one person is allowed to leave the field of play when taking a corner kick. If the player who does not take the corner kick decides to stay out of the field of play, this is OK so long as he stays there and does not join in the active play immediately following the taking of the corner. Once the ball has moved away from the corner area, this player can enter the field of play, but should not involve himself in the ensuing play action - if he does, then he could be penalized for having gained an advantage by delaying his entry into the field of play.

Thanks to Dougie for keeping me up half the night writing this answer!! Good question Dougie.

Question 3: What part of an attacker's body should be used when measuring if he is in an offside position or not? Is it his chest, his legs, his hands, his head, his torso, the whole of his body or any part of his body?

Answer 3: The Laws offer no advice for this awkward question. It can be very difficult for Referees and Assistant Referees to determine whether or not a player is offside.

If the player is clearly offside, then the whole of his body will be in an offside position and the call will be easy to make. It is when fast moving attackers are in line or just in front of the second last defender when offside decisions become difficult to judge. My advice is to give offside if the attacker's torso (upper body) is clearly ahead of the second last defender. Also look for the position of opposing players in relation to each other, by using the mowed grass lines as guidelines (as long as the moved lines are straight and at right angles to the touch lines.) I certainly would not give an offside if only the attacker's hand or arm was ahead of the second last defender. It is not necessary to "see daylight" between the foremost attacker and the second last defender for one of them to be considered nearer to the goal line than the other. If you are uncertain because the call is too close, allow play to continue and give the advantage to the attacking team.

Assuming that all of the players except the defending (GREEN team) goalkeeper are in the RED team's half - if a RED attacker is standing with part of his body leaning over the half way line and into his opponents' (GREEN team's) half, but with one foot on the halfway line itself and his other foot placed in his own (RED team's) half, he should be penalized for being offside if he subsequently travels fully into his opponents half to reach a ball as soon as it is passed forwards into this area by a colleague.

The lines on a field of play are part of the area, which they enclose (for example - a direct free kick offence committed by a defender, occurring exactly on top of the defender's penalty area line is a penalty and not a direct free kick outside the penalty area). The halfway line separates both halves, therefore, a person who is standing right on the line could be technically considered to be either in his own half - or in the opposing half. As the advantage is normally given to the attacking side during finite offside decisions, an attacking player standing directly on top of the halfway line should be deemed to be in his own half of the field of play.

If a player is standing in his own half, and with his toes touching the halfway line, but not extending over the line into the opponents half, the he is not in an offside position.

If a player is standing directly on top of the halfway line, with his toes extending over the halfway line into his opponents' half, but his heels are placed in his own half, then I would suggest that as long as his torso is not leaning into the opponents half, this player is not in an offside position.

If a player is standing with one foot completely over the halfway line in his opponents' half and one foot completely on his own half, (in other words straddling the halfway line) then I would suggest that this player is in an offside position.

If a player has both of his sets of toes on the halfway line, but his head and/or hands extend over the halfway line into his opponents half, then I would suggest that this player in not in an offside position.

To summarize: Offside is usually judged by the position of the torso and not any other part of the body.

Question 4: When a player in his own half passes the ball to a colleague who is in an offside position in his opponent's half, should the colleague be penalized for being offside?

Answer 4: Yes. I doesn't matter if the player who is passing the ball, is standing in his own half of the field of play, or in his opponent's half. It is the position of the receiving player that counts when making offside decisions. The only offside significance of the halfway line is that players cannot be deemed offside in their own half.

Question 5: During a match, an attacker taking a throw-in, throws the ball to a colleague who is standing by the corner flag. All the defending players (except the goalkeeper) are much further up the field. Shouldn't the attacker by the corner flag be penalized for being offside?

Answer 5: No. Law 11 states that there is no offside offence committed if a player receives the ball directly from a throw-in (goal kick or a corner kick). In other words, a player cannot be offside if he receives the ball directly from a throw-in, goal kick or a corner kick.

Question 6: If an attacking player taking a corner, kicks the ball to a colleague standing ten yards away back up the touchline, and then immediately receives the ball back whilst remaining near the corner arc, is he offside?

Answer 6: If (immediately after the taking of the corner) the defending team all rush out up field beyond the line of the attacker who remains near the corner flag, then when the attacker's colleague passes to ball back to him, the corner kick taker will be in an offside position because he is nearer to the goal line than the second last defender. The aim of the defending team in this situation is to catch the corner kick taker offside as soon as the ball is returned to him from a colleague.

If the defenders stay in place guarding their goal line, then the attacker near the corner arc who has received the ball back from his colleague, is not in an offside position, because at the very least he will be level with the second last opponent, and therefore not offside in accordance with Law 11.

Offside is often given in these situations, when attackers fail to get back onside when the defending team tactically rushes out to put the corner kicker in an offside position (should the ball be returned to him). Off sides here, are often due to the inexperience of the players when taking 'short corners'. The corner kicker is in an offside position at the moment that a teammate plays the ball back to him, and he is not (at least) level with the second last defender. He is then penalized for being offside, because he has received the ball in an offside position, regardless of the fact that he is still near the corner flag.

If there are no Assistant Referees to help him, the Referee should position himself to watch for these types of off sides. They can easily be missed during the taking of corner kicks. The best position during corner kicks (where the Referee does not have Assistant Referees) is to stand on the goal line about 10 yards away from the far goal post to where the corner is being taken.

If there are no Assistant Referees to help him, the Referee should also position himself carefully to watch for off sides that can easily be missed during the taking of throw-ins, when defending players quickly move up field and catch attacking players offside when the attacking thrower receives the ball back from a colleague. You cannot be offside from a throw-in, but if the colleague receiving the ball direct from a throw-in passes it immediately back to the thrower, but in the meantime, the defending players have come out as a unit, and have all moved up field past the position where the thrower is standing, then the thrower is offside as soon as his colleague passes the ball back to him.

Question 7: When a player purposefully moves off the field of play to show the Referee that he is not involved in active play, should the Referee penalize him for being in an offside position?

Answer 7: No: It is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position. There is no need for the player to have left the field of play, so long as he is not actively involved or interfering with play. However, if the Referee considers that a player has left the field of play for tactical reasons and has gained an unfair advantage by re-entering the field of play and becoming active, that player should be cautioned. For example, if he re-enters the field of play and plays the ball that has been passed to him by a teammate, he should be penalized for being offside. The restart will be taken from the point on the touchline where the player re-entered the field.

Question 8: Is there anything to stop an attacking player remaining (for long periods during play) in an offside position say, 5 yards out from his opponents goal line, and on the edge of the opponents penalty area? What happens then, if an attacking onside colleague runs forward towards the goal with the ball, and when he is level with his team-mate (who has been standing still for some time on the edge of the penalty area) - passes the ball to him - and subsequently a goal is scored. Does the goal count, or should the static attacker be penalized for being offside?

Answer 8: There is nothing to stop an attacker remaining in this forward position near the goal. Law 11 was changed some years ago to state that it was not an offence in itself to be in an offside position, provided that (in the opinion of the Referee) at the moment the ball is played (or touched) by a colleague, the player standing in an offside position is not involved in active play by:

- (a) Interfering with play.

- (b) Interfering with an opponent, or

- (c) Gaining an advantage by being in that position.

The fact that the player was in an offside position earlier is irrelevant. It is only at the moment that the ball is played by a colleague, that offside is judged by the Referee.

By the letter of the Law, there is nothing to stop a player remaining in this forward position, provided that he does not infringe any of the Law 11 criteria above. It can be argued that by remaining in this position, the attacker is using trickery to circumvent the spirit of Law 11 - but there is nothing much that the Referee can do about it - because offside is only judged at the moment when the ball is played, and not before the ball has been played.

When Law 11 was first amended (to include this new offside interpretation), players were seen to be gaining an unfair advantage by purposefully delaying their return to an onside position, by making little or no attempt to get back up field into an onside position.

It could be argued that only if a player is making a genuine attempt to get back onside, and an attacking colleague subsequently runs up field with the ball and reaches a position where he puts his colleague in an onside position, that play should be allowed to continue if the ball is passed between these players - (so long as none of the above Law 11 criteria (a) (b) & (c) has been infringed when the ball is played towards that player).

But Law 11 does not allow the Referee to penalize a player just because he was standing in an offside position earlier in the attacking move. It is only when that player infringes the Offside Law 11 by being in an offside position when the ball is actually passed to him, that the Referee can penalize him for being offside.

Question 9: Following the award of an offside in the defending team’s penalty area, an attacking player intercepted the defending player’s indirect free kick before the ball had left the penalty area. The attacking player 'blasted' the ball into the net for a goal. But the Referee disallowed the goal -surely the attacking player could not have been in an offside position, and the goal should count?

Answer 9: Law 13 (Free Kicks) states that for any free kicks awarded to a defending team in its own penalty, the ball only comes into play when it is kicked directly beyond the penalty area. In this instance, the ball did not leave the penalty area (and therefore did not come into play) before the attacker intercepted it. The goal does not count, and the defending team should retake the indirect free kick.

Note: The Referee should also be aware of goalkeepers taking free kicks in their own penalty area, and passing the ball a few yards alongside to a colleague who is also inside the penalty area. The free kick should be retaken, because any another player should not touch the ball until it has left the penalty area.

Question 10: Can an attacker be penalized for being offside if he runs past a defender after an attacking colleague kicked the ball beyond that defender?

Answer 10: Assuming that the defending goalkeeper is still in position in front of the attacker and the defender was the second last defender (for example, the defender and the defending goalkeeper), then the attacker can't possibly be offside. So long as - when the ball was kicked, the running attacker was not in an offside position but actually moved past the second last defender towards the goal once the ball was kicked forwards by his teammate. In the opinion of the Referee, offside is judged at the MOMENT the ball is played.

Question 11: Can an attacking player be offside if he is in an offside position when his teammate passes the ball to him, but the pass subsequently deflects to him off a defender?

Answer 11: In the opinion of the Referee, offside is judged at the MOMENT the ball is played. In this instance, the attacker was in an offside position at the moment when his colleague played the ball to him. It is immaterial whether the ball is subsequently deflected or inadvertently touched, or miss-kicked by a defender or not. The attacker should be penalized for being offside at the moment the pass was made to him, irrespective of how many deflections it takes on its way - an indirect free kick should be awarded to the defending team for offside by the attacker.

An offside attacker should also be penalized for being offside if during a pass made to him by a colleague, a defender jumps up to head the ball away but the ball deflects off the defender's head and travels onto the offside attacking player. The offside is not nullified just because the defender touched the ball. A defender would need to actually have control of the ball before the attacking player in the original offside position becomes onside again.

Question 12: If a pass made by a defending player subsequently glances off the thigh of a first attacker who is in an onside position and rolls forwards on to a second attacking colleague who is in an offside position - should the second attacker be penalized for being offside?

Answer 12: Yes: Law 11 clearly states that:

A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball TOUCHES or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the Referee, involved in active play by:

- (a) Interfering with play.

- (b) Interfering with an opponent, or

- (c) Gaining an advantage by being in that position.

In this case, the first attacker TOUCHED the ball before it deflected on to the second offside attacker who is then deemed to have gaining an advantage by being in that position.

The wording in Law 11 specifically states, "touches or is played by one of his team..."

Question 13: During an attack on goal, two attackers move with the ball towards the defending goalkeeper, all the other players are further up the field of play. Attacker 'A' has control of the ball. Attacker 'B' runs past the goalkeeper who is standing just inside his penalty area, and places himself ten yards out from the goal line between the goal posts when attacker 'A' shoots towards goal. The goalkeeper who is still in front of attacker 'A' on the edge of the penalty area makes a spontaneous attempt to save the ball. The ball goes on towards the goal and is helped in by a touch from attacker 'B'. Should the goal count? There are no other players involved.

Answer 13: The goal should not count because attacker 'B' was in an offside position at the moment that attacker 'A' passed the ball to him (he was nearer to the goal line than the second last defender). If the attacker 'B' had simply let the ball go past him into the goal without touching it, then the goal would be legal - so long as attacker 'B' had not interfered with play, or distracted the goalkeeper.

Question 14: When an attacker shoots and scores a goal from outside of the penalty area - should an attacking colleague who is standing on the corner of the 6-yard goal area box, be penalized for being in an offside position when the goal is scored? There are no other players involved.

Answer 14: It all depends on whether the attacker standing on the corner of the goal area has interfered with play or interfered in some way with the goalkeeper. In other words, if the attacker was in the line of sight (or near the line of site) of the goalkeeper when the shot is coming towards goal, then he has interfered with play by distracting the goalkeeper. In this instance, the goal should not count, and the restart is an indirect free kick to the defending team for the offside infringement.

If the attacker was standing on the left edge of the goal area, and the shot came in from the right hand side of the goal, then it can be argued that he did not distract the goalkeeper and should not be penalized for being offside - the goal counts in this instance, and the correct restart is a kick-off to the defending team in the center circle. In other words (in the opinion of the Referee) a goal would have been scored if the attacker had been standing there or not!

Offside is "in the opinion of the Referee". Some Referees will always give offside if an attacking player is in this middle center third of the field of play in front of the goal, irrespective of whether or not the attacker interfered with play or not. The thinking behind this method, is that any attacking player standing in this important area in front of goal must have some influence on the thinking and concentration of the goalkeeper - whether he is in the goalkeepers line of sight or not. Whatever method you use, you will be correct because offside is "in the opinion of the Referee".

Question 15: An offside right wing attacker is seen to be doing up his boot laces near the defending team's right side corner flag - miles away from the attacking play progressing down the defending team's left wing. The right wing attacker stands up after finishing tying up his laces, and stands still watching play develop over the other side of the field. A defending left full back (who is standing in the center of the field) then sees this attacking player out of the corner of his eye, and runs over to mark him. In taking this action, the defending player has opened up a gap in the center of his defense, that is entered by an unmarked attacking player who subsequently scores a headed goal from a plighted left wing cross. Should the goal be allowed to count, or did the right wing attacker interfere with the central defender by enticing him, out of the central position?

Answer 15: (Answer from the UK RA I&P Committee): "Whilst this decision is an opinion of the Referee, it was thought in the circumstances described the player on the right wing was not involved in active play, and the goal should stand."

(Webmaster's comment): As the right wing attacker has not moved or made any attempt to join active play, it could be argued that he has not actually been involved with the attack in any way, and the goal should count. Nevertheless, the fact that his presence enticed the defending left back to leave the center of the field, means that although the right winger was innocent of all intention, it could be said that his presence actually interfered with an opponent (the left back defender). This is a very difficult call for the Referee (or Assistant Referee) to make. But luckily, it does not happen too often. Had the left back defender stayed in a central position he could have challenged for the left wing cross and probably prevented the headed goal from being scored.

Question 16: Following a challenge for the ball between an attacker and a defender on the edge of the penalty area, the ball was seen to squirm off one of the players and deflects towards a second attacker who is standing in an offside position near the penalty spot. It looked as though both of the players were taking a kick at the ball, at the same time whilst making the challenge, and at first, it appears as though the defender may have made contact a fraction of a second before the attacker but from a distance it looks as though they both made contact with the ball at the same time, causing it to deflect to the offside attacker. Should the Referee allow play to continue, or should he penalize the offside attacker for being in an offside position when the ball was deflected (touched) to him?

Answer 16: It all depends on the Referees perception, and (for want of a better term) his Default Automatic Method Navigator (D.A.M.N.) because your damned if you do, and your damned if you don't!). The same goes with throw-ins, and corner/goal kicks. These types of decisions are probably the easiest to make, even though they are the hardest to make. This may seem like a contradiction - but let me explain. Firstly, the Referee must recognize that there will be many times during each match, where it is impossible to make the correct decision. This is due to a number of factors. The speed of play, the distance between the incident and the Referee, the fitness of the Referee, whether there are players in the Referee's line of sight, the shielding of the ball by the players' bodies - and dare I say it "the Referee's eyesight"!

In situations of this type, the Referee can give the decision to the attacking team or he can give it to the defending team. Some Referees automatically give 'unsure' decisions to the defending team - this is how it has been done historically in the past. Some modern Referees give 'unsure' decisions to the attacking team, thus embodying a modern movement to give the attackers the advantage, therefore increasing the chances of a goal being scored -which in turn will increase the enjoyment of the spectators. (For example, if a Referee or an Assistant Referee is unsure whether an attacker is level or not with the second last defender, then the benefit of the doubt should go to the attacker.)

New Referees are advised to choose one of the two D.A.M.N. methods to use when being unsure on which way to give a decision. Of course, the above advice also applies (more so) to the Assistant Referee. So the answer to the question is?..... There is no answer; it's up to you!

The Referee should not 'lose any sleep' worrying about whether he has made the correct decision or not during a game. Even if the Referee (or Assistant Referee) makes the wrong decision - it is the right decision as far as the match is concerned, because he is the only one responsible (some decisions you win and some you lose). Match incidents happen in split seconds, and Referees' have to make instant decisions and continue onwards with the game. If a Referee shows any weakness or uncertainty when making such decisions, the players, the crowd and the team officials will certainly make the most of it! Be firm and positive and accept that you will make genuine honest mistakes - but accept that they are not made by you on purpose.

Question 17: During the taking of a corner kick, as soon as the kicker started to run towards the ball, the defending players (apart from the goalkeeper) all ran up field, and were at least level with the penalty spot when the ball was touched and kicked directly into the goal area. A second attacking player who had been standing on the 6-yard goal line headed the ball into the net for a goal. Why didn't the Referee blow for offside, surely the attacker was nearer to the opponents goal line than at least two of his opponents when the ball was kicked?

Answer 17: Law 11 states that it is not an offence (offside) if a player receives the ball directly from a corner kick. The second attacker received the ball directly from the corner kick before he scored, and another player did not touch it, so it does not matter where the other players are when he touches the ball with his head.

If in the same situation, the second attacker nods the ball to a third attacker who is standing two yards from the goal line in front of the goal posts, and this third attacker subsequently nods the ball into the goal - then the goal is not allowed. At the moment the second attacker touches the ball with his head, normal offside rules come into play. At that precise moment, the third attacker would have been in an offside position when the second attacker touched the ball to him.

No goal, and an indirect free kick to the defending team is the correct decision here!

Question 18: If a player (who suddenly realizes that he is in an offside position) deliberately
steps back into an onside position and then directly receives a pass from a teammate, should the Referee penalize him for being in an offside position in the first place?

Answer 18: No - is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position. By moving a few steps into an onside position, this player is then legally entitled to receive a pass from a colleague - he should not be penalized for being offside when at the moment the ball was passed to him, he was in an onside position.

If the pass was made before this player had moved into an onside position, then it is an offside offence, even if the player subsequently moves into an onside position as the ball is making its way towards him. Offside is given at the moment the ball is touched and played to him by a teammate, and not when he receives it.

If an attacking offside player tries to move back into an onside position when the ball was played in his direction by a team-mate, and when the ball eventually reaches him, several defenders were now between him and the goal. - he should be penalized for being offside. He was in an offside position when the ball was passed in his direction by a teammate, and had therefore gained advantage from being in that offside position. Offside is judged at the moment the ball is played - and not when it is received - so it does not make any difference that the defenders had traveled back and were between the attacker and the goal line when the attacker eventually received the ball.

Question 19: If during a shot on goal, and where all of the attacking players are in an onside position, the ball subsequently rebounds back into play from the crossbar, and the defending players then all move forward - if the ball then rebounds directly to an attacking player who has been placed in an offside position (by the movement up field of the defending players), should the Referee penalize this player for being offside?

Answer 19: No - because at the "moment" the ball was kicked towards goal, the attacking player who received the ball back from the rebound was in an onside position.

Conversely, if the attacking player who receives the ball directly back from the crossbar was in an offside position when the shot was made, then he must be penalized for being in an offside position (he had gained an advantage by being in that position). If the ball directly enters the goal instead of rebounding from the crossbar, then this player can only be penalized for being offside if he interferes with play, or if he interferes with an opponent (for example, if he was in the goalkeeper's line of sight as the ball was shot towards goal).

Question 20: During a match, a goalkeeper (standing in his own penalty area and who has possession of the ball in his hands), kicks the ball up field to an attacking colleague who is standing on the edge of the opponent's penalty area down the other end of the field. All of the defending players (apart from the defending goalkeeper) have moved up field and are standing near the halfway line. The Assistant Referee signals for offside immediately after the ball is kicked and released from the goalkeeper’s hand. Surely he should wait to see if this player makes an attempt to gain possession of the ball - after all, doesn't the Law say that it is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position?

Answer 20: As soon as the Assistant Referee decides that (in his opinion) it becomes clear that the ball is going towards the offside attacking player, the Assistant Referee does not have to wait for the ball to be touched by that offside attacking player or for that player to make an active move towards the ball.
If the ball looks as though it will travel safely to the defending goalkeeper, the Assistant Referee should allow the game to continue, and not signal for offside. Whatever decisions the Assistant Referee makes here, it will be the correct one because it is his opinion that counts. Assistant Referees are encouraged to refrain from giving offside if the ball subsequently falls to the advantage of the defending team. These judgments are difficult to make and only become easier with experience. For example in this question - if the ball is definitely going safely to the defending goalkeeper, and the attacker has no chance of touching the ball, but the attacking player has been previously having a 'go' at the goalkeeper, (and the Assistant Referee knows this) - an early signal may prevent the attacker using this opportunity to try and "legally" barge into the goalkeeper. This may prevent injury to the goalkeeper.

If the goalkeeper subsequently fumbles his catch and loses possession of the ball, the offside decision should be made quickly to prevent any nasty collisions between the attacker and the goalkeeper. The offside attacker shouldn't be given an advantage just because the goalkeeper makes a 'hash ' of catching the ball. The attacking player would in this instance, have gained an advantage by being in an offside position when the ball was kicked up field to him by his goal keeping colleague from down the other end of the field.

The flow of the game is important on these occasions. A Referee (or Assistant Referee) who allows the game to flow with little interruption, will gain the respect of the players, and increase the quality of the game. A Referee (or Assistant Referee) who insists on stopping play every time a player 'farts' will spoil the game for everyone. Let's not forget - football is for the players, it is not a stage for budding Referee theatricals!

Question 21: If a goalkeeper (during the taking of a goal kick) kicks the ball directly up field to an attacking colleague standing in an offside position in the opponent's goal area at the other end of the field, and the attacking player subsequently heads the ball into the opponents goal - is the goal legal, or should this player be penalized for being offside?

Answer 21: A player cannot be offside if he receives the ball directly from a goal kick (or a throw-in or a corner kick). In this instance, the ball did not touch any other player and the attacker received it directly from a goal kick. The attacker cannot be penalized for being offside direct from a goal kick, and therefore the goal counts.
An attacking player can of course be penalized for offside if he receives the ball directly when his goalkeeper kicks the ball from his hands or from a free kick.

It is sometimes difficult for an Assistant Referee who is watching for offside, to ascertain if the Referee has given a direct free kick to the defending team in their goal area at the other end of the field, or a goal kick. If an attacking player in an offside position directly receives the ball from a goal kick, then he should not be penalized for being offside. Conversely, if the ball is directly received by an offside attacking player from a free kick (taken in that attacking player's own goal area) then he should be penalized for being offside. In these instances, to help his Assistant Referees, the Referee should use clear signals to differentiate between a goal kick and a free kick given in the goal areas.

Question 22: If an attacking player's momentum takes him between the goal posts, and into the area under the goal net, and an attacking team mate kicks the ball into the goal - what action should the Referee take?

Answer 22: No action should be taken if the player under the goal net remains stationary and not interfering with play as the ball enters the goal. A goal should be awarded in this instance.

If the action of this attacking player distracts an opponent, then the goal should be disallowed and the player may be cautioned for unsporting behavior. Although the offence itself was committed off the field of play (the area under the goal net is not part of the field of play) play should be restarted by an indirect free kick to the defending team, to be taken from any point within the goal area.

Question 23: If an attacking player is in an offside position, but he is not seemingly interfering with play the moment the ball is played to another attacking colleague - and a shot is taken and saved and deflected back out into play by the keeper and the player who was offside but deemed to be not interfering then gains possession of the ball the ball and scores a goal. Should the goal count? Or can the Assistant Referee now give offside, even after he had initially decided not to flag for offside against the attacker who was seemingly not interfering with play when the move began? Phew!! Can you understand that!

Answer 23: The goal should not count, and play should be restarted with an indirect free kick to the defending team for an offside infringement.

Law 11 clearly states that:

A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball TOUCHES or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the Referee, involved in active play by:

- (a) Interfering with play.

- (b) Interfering with an opponent, or

- (c) Gaining an advantage by being in that position.

In this case, the attacking player who scored the goal was initially in an offside position and had gained an advantage by being so, when the ball was originally passed to his colleague by the first attacker.

Determining exactly when to award offside depends on what transpires after the initial pass. The goal scorer had gained an advantage when he played the ball after it rebounded from the goalkeeper. The Assistant Referee had recognized that the goal scorer was in offside position at the moment the ball was initially played but only raised his flag once this player subsequently became involved with play.

Question 24: Can player 'A' be penalized for being offside if a teammate taking a direct free kick kicks the ball directly to player 'A' whilst that player is standing in an offside position? In other words - can you be offside if you receive the ball directly, from a direct free kick taken from a player of your own side?

Answer 24: The only restart situations when a player in an offside position cannot be penalized for being offside, is when he receives the ball directly from a goal kick, a corner kick or a throw-in. In all other restarts, an offside player receiving the ball directly from a colleague must be penalized for being offside. This includes indirect free kicks and direct free kicks.

So the answer to the question is:

YES - player 'A' was in an offside position when the ball was directly kicked to him, because by being in that position he had either...
- (a) interfered with play,
- (b) interfered with an opponent, or
- (c) Gained an advantage by being in that position. This player was nearer to the opponent's goal than the last two defenders at the time the ball was played to him, and he was in the attacking half of the field.

Note: - (i) A player cannot be offside in his or her own defensive half of the field of play.

Note: - (ii) A player cannot be offside from a penalty kick, because players have line up behind the ball - so it is impossible for a player to be offside as long as they have lined up correctly behind the level of the penalty mark, as defined in Law 14 below:

Law 14: "The players, other than the kicker and the defending goalkeeper must line up behind the penalty mark".

If a player moves forward past the line of the penalty mark before the penalty kick is taken, then he is not deemed to be offside. But he has committed an infringement of Law 14 (Law 14 covers the action to be taken by the Referee under this circumstance).

Question 25: If an attacker who is running towards goal, with only the goalkeeper between him and the goal, stops and turns around with his back to the goalkeeper, and then plays the ball back towards his own goal to an oncoming attacking colleague, so that in effect the first attacker is now ahead of the ball - is the first attacker now technically offside, (because he is nearer to the opponents' goal line than the second last opponent), and should he be penalized?

Answer 25: If the second oncoming attacker immediately shoots towards goal, and the first attacker's position is such that he is (a) interfering with play (for example, if the first attacker is standing directly in front of the goalkeeper, or in such a position as to distract the goalkeeper) or (b) if the first attacker has interfered with an opponent (for example, if the nearest defender decides to move towards the first attacker to mark him, instead of challenging the shooting attacker), or (c) the first attacker had gained an advantage (for example, if he receives the ball straight back from the second attacker) - then the first attacker must be penalized for being offside.

If the first attacker has not interfered with play or not interfered with an opponent, then play should be allowed to continue, and the first attacker should not be penalized. If the second attacker runs past the first attacker and scores a goal, or if the second attacker immediately shoots and scores a goal, then the goal should count - so long as the first attacker had not effected play in any way. It is NOT an offence to be in an offside position.

Question 26: Where should the Assistant Referee place himself to judge for offside in the following instances?

- (a) A defender's momentum, takes him out over the goal line where he remains injured off the field of play.

Answer 26(a): A player leaving the field during play because of his momentum, is not deemed to have left without the Referee's permission and can therefore re-enter without the Referee's permission. However, this player is clearly injured, awaiting treatment off the field of play. He should be deemed to have left the field of play and will require the Referee's permission to re-enter after he has received treatment. As the injured player is off the field of play, he should not be considered in any offside decisions. The Assistant Referee should move up field in line with the next second last defender remaining on the field of play. The injured player should be discounted when deciding offside.

The Referee will need to quickly recognize when a player is genuinely injured in this instance. There will probably be no time for the Referee to actually give permission for this player to be treated - because he will be concentrating closely on the match action. The Referee will need to decide if the player is genuinely injured, or if he is feigning an injury in the hope that an offside will be given against an opponent. It is a very difficult decision for the Referee to make in an instance and whilst concentrating on the match action.

- (b) A defender's momentum, takes him out over the goal line but he is not injured.

Answer 26(b): A player leaving the field of play because of his momentum during play, is not deemed to have left without the Referee's permission and can therefore re-enter without the Referee's permission. In this instance, although the defender is off the field of play, (and until he returns to the field of play), he is deemed to be standing on the goal-line (in the field of play) when considering offside. The Assistant Referee should stand in line with the last opponent on the field of play (which in this case will probably be the defending goalkeeper). When deciding offside in this case, the two last defending opponents are the defender who has traveled off the field of play, and the defending player who is nearest to the goal line on the field of play (which in all probability will be the goalkeeper). Clear as mud!!!!!!!!!!!

If an uninjured defender purposefully remains off the field in an attempt to place an attacker in an offside position, then that defender is deemed to be standing on the goal-line (in the field of play) when considering offside. A defender should not use trickery of this nature - it circumvents the spirit of the offside Law.

- (c) An injured defending player is lying down on the field of play, near his goal line, and by the corner flag.

Answer 26(c): Regardless of whether the injured player is involved in play or not, and irrespective of his position; if an injured defender remains on the field of play (and play continues) he is still a legal player, and should be counted as such when making offside decisions. The Assistant Referee will need to count the injured defender as one of the two-second last defenders, and take up his position accordingly (either alongside the injured player - if the injured player is the second last defender, or alongside the second last defender, if the injured player is on the goal line and is the last defender).

Of course, experienced Referees will quickly spot this dilemma, and blow for a stoppage in play to allow treatment - but they will only do this if active play has moved away from the vicinity of the defender's goal. Stopping play early in this instance, can prevent all sorts of difficulties.

Question 27: Is it called off sides or offside?

Answer 27: Definitely offside. Some colleagues in the world like to call it off sides, but the proper name is offside.

Question 28: Two players have successfully and legally beaten and ran past the second last defender, and are both running towards goal in their opponents half with the ball. The player who has control of the ball is five yards ahead of his attacking colleague. As they approach the goal, the furthermost attacker who still has possession of the ball, passes the ball forwards for his colleague to run onto. The colleague then runs forward and gains possession of the ball. At this point, shouldn't the attacker receiving the ball be penalized for being offside - after all, he was nearer to the goal line than the second last defender when he received the ball form his colleague?

Answer 28: The easiest way to answer (and remember) this is to forget all of the Law 11 offside stipulations for now. An attacking player cannot be offside, if at the moment the ball is passed to him by a colleague, he is behind (or in line with) that colleague who passed the ball to him. It does not matter whether the ball is passed forwards, sideways or backwards - so long as the player receiving the ball was further from the opponents goal line than the ball at the moment it was kicked to him, and he was behind - or level - with the passer.

Question 29: Following an aborted attack on goal, a lone attacker is slowly making his way back up field, but before he has managed to get into an on-side position, a defending player kicks the ball hard up field. The ball hits the back of a defending colleague and rebounds back towards the defenders' goal an onto the lone attacker who is still in an offside position. Should the lone attacker now be penalized for receiving the ball when he is nearer to the goal line than the last two opponents?

Answer 29: No. It is not an offence to be in an offside position, and the attacker did not receive the ball from a teammate. Because the attacker received the ball direct from an opponent, he should not be penalized for being offside. A player cannot be penalized for being offside when he receives the ball directly from an opponent who has been in control of the ball.

The same goes for when a defender slices (misplays) the ball and it travels back to the lone attacker.
The same goes for when a defender does not see the lone attacker, and passes the ball back to his goalkeeper, but the attacker anticipates the defender's back-pass and gains possession of the ball before it reaches the goalkeeper.

A player cannot be penalized for being offside (whatever his position is) when he receives the ball directly from a defending player.

Question 30: An attacker is 30 yards inside his own half, and he passes the ball to an attacking colleague who is in an offside position 10 yards within the opponents half. The offside attacker runs back into his own half, and gains possession of the ball before it has crossed into the opponents' half. Law 11 states that a player can only be offside in his opponents half - so should the Referee allow play to continue?

Answer 30: Definitely not. Offside is determined at the exact moment when the ball was touched or kicked by a teammate. At the moment the ball was passed by his teammate, the furthermost attacker was in his opponents' half, and in an offside position. It does not matter where he subsequently touches the ball. It is the position he was at, when the ball was passed to him that counts. At the moment the ball was played, the furthermost attacker was in an offside position, and had therefore gained an advantage by being in that offside position within his opponents' half. An indirect free kick should be awarded to the opposition, at the place where the offside attacker was, when the ball was passed to him by the teammate. The indirect free kick should not take place in the offside attacker's own half, where he subsequently gathered the ball - it must be taken at the spot where he was judged to be offside, at the very moment the ball was played to him by a teammate.

Question 31: During a match, the Referee seemed to be the only person in the stadium that thought that the attacking player was offside. Surely, if a player is 10 yards on side, then he should not be penalized for being offside?

Answer 31: It does not matter whether this player was factually in an onside position or factually in an offside position. The Referee deemed him to be offside - and the Referee is the ONLY opinion that counts - even though he may well have made the wrong decision.

Law 11 clearly states that:

A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the Referee, involved in active play by:

- (a) Interfering with play.

- (b) Interfering with an opponent, or

- (c) Gaining an advantage by being in that position.

So there is nothing the coach, manager, spectators, Club Linesman (and even Assistant Referees) can do, if the Referee thinks otherwise! Even if it is blatantly obvious to everyone except the Referee that the attacker was definitely 10 yards onside. After all - aren't Referees supposed to be blind!

The Referee has the final word as to all of the facts of play, including offside, or whether a goal is valid or not.

Question 32: Two attacking players had run past the last outfield defenders fairly with the ball, to a position where only the defending goalkeeper was between them and the defending team's goal line. One of the attackers shoots the ball towards goal. The ball subsequently rebounds off the crossbar, and falls to the other attacker who shoots and directly scores a goal. Should the goal count or not?

Answer 32: If the goal scorer was further from the goal line than the ball (in other words - behind or in line with the ball), when the ball was first shot towards goal, or level with his colleague - then the goal counts. He was therefore not in an offside position when the first shot towards goal was made. In other words " he was NOT nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent" when the ball was first shot towards goal by this teammate.

If the goal scorer was nearer to the goal line than the ball (in other words, in front of the ball), when the ball was first shot towards goal by his teammate - then he is offside and the goal does not count. He was therefore in an offside position when the first shot towards goal was made. In other words " he was nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent" when the ball was first shot towards goal by this teammate.

Question 33: Is an attacking player allowed to stand in an offside position when a colleague is taking a penalty kick?

Answer 33: No; Law 14 states that all players (except the kicker and the defending goalkeeper) must be behind the penalty mark before a penalty can take place.

Question 34: During an attack on goal, the Assistant Referee raised his flag to indicate that an attacking player was in an offside position. On seeing this signal, the Referee allowed play to continue, and a goal was scored and allowed to count by the Referee. Surely the Referee should have stopped play for the offside infringement?

Answer 34: Oh Dear! This is a bad case of 'lack of communication' between the Referee and his Assistant Referee. During a Referee's pre-match brief to his Assistant Referees, most Referees will give FULL responsibility to his Assistant Referees, for making ALL of the offside decisions. Assistant Referees are nearly always in a better position than the Referee to judge offside. Assistant Referees are fully trained Referees, and should be capable, and given the responsibility for making all offside decisions. If they get any offside decisions wrong (which we all do from time to time) then the Referee should NEVER openly overrule them. Doing so, will instantly damage the team spirit essential between the three match officials, and will certainly lead to players taking advantage of a sudden weakness in the match officials' team. If an Assistant Referee gets it wrong, then so be it. Any mistakes should be discussed in the sanctuary of the match officials' changing room after the match or at half time, and not openly during the match itself.

Newly qualified Referees will very often learn their trade by being Assistant Referees. They will often miss offside calls during this period of learning. This cannot be helped, as they have gain experience in match situations to become fully competent. It does take time for new Referees to 'learn the ropes' and become proficient at calling offside. Although this can be very frustrating, it does no good to keep overruling the new Assistant Referees - this will only lead to a fall in their confidence. An experienced Referee will need to coach and protect his new officials very carefully.

A DAMAGED TEAM SPIRIT BETWEEN MATCH OFFICIALS IS FAR MORE DAMAGING THAN...
A WRONG OFFSIDE DECISION GIVEN BY AN ASSISTANT REFEREE

Note:

Referees' must overrule Club Linesmen, when offside decisions given by Club Linesmen are blatantly wrong.

The Assistant Referee should never undermine the authority of the Referee

Question 35: An attacking player falls down injured just to one side, and very near one of his opponents goal post. Play continues, and all of the players (except the defending goalkeeper) run up field and are at least level with the edge of the defending teams' penalty area. Another attacker then gains possession of the ball and shoots it towards goal. The ball is just about to travel out for a goal kick, when it hits the back of the injured attacker (who is still lying down just to the side of the goal) and is deflected into the goal. Should the goal count, or is the injured player offside?

Answer 35: The injured player is offside. A player does not have to play or touch the ball to be penalized for being offside. He could actually be lying unconscious and still be penalized for being offside (but I don't suppose it will make much difference to him one way or the other!). The injured player had gained an advantage by being in that position. In other words, a goal was scored because the injured player had gained an advantage by being in that position, and he had interfered with play - irrespective of whether or not he could move. If the injured player had not been there, then the ball would have traveled out for a goal kick.

Question 36: Whilst I was watching a local park match, I noticed that when a player was in an offside position at the far post near the goal area, and a team-mate fired in a shot towards goal which the goalkeeper saved, the Referee did not penalize the attacker for being offside, and allowed play to continue - yet, when I turned around to watch another match under way on an adjacent pitch, the Referee in that game blew his whistle and penalized an attacker for being in the same type of position. Which Referee made the correct decision?

Answer 36: Actually, both Referees made the correct decision. It is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position. In this identical situation in the two different matches, both of the respective Referees had to make a split-second decision on whether the attacker had gained an advantage by being in that offside position. Each Referee will have differing opinions as to whether the attacker had interfered with play or not. It may be for example, that the attacker called for the ball, by shouting "leave it" perhaps, which distracted the goalkeeper, this action is unsporting interfering with play - and maybe that is why play was stopped in one of the situations. Some Referees like to allow play to flow with the minimum of unnecessary stoppages, and some Referees like to be more careful during game actions near the goal area - and will blow for offside if there is any chance of an offside attacker effecting the play action - irrespective of whether or not the attacker actually touches or moves towards the ball. The Law 11 gives Referees a wide latitude to make such decisions. It is the OPINION of the Referee that counts in such instances, and not the 'black and white' stipulations of Law 11.

Question 37: Once a player has placed himself in an offside position, what action does he have to take to become onside again?

Answer 37: Firstly, it is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position. So long as enough time has elapsed to cancel out any advantage he may have gained by being in that offside position - a player should not be penalized for being offside position once his own movement, or the movement of other players or the ball, has placed him back in an onside position.

There are several things this player can do to become onside:

- (a) Move into his own half of the field of play.

- (b) Make a positive move to get back in line with a colleague who has possession of the ball - or move further from the oppositions' goal line than that same colleague. He becomes onside when he has reached this position. If a player purposefully waits in an offside position to allow play to catch up with him, he should not then be penalized for being offside. This is a very tricky decision for the Referee and Assistant Referee to apply. The Laws do not cover this situation and no advice is given as to whether such a player should be penalized or not when purposefully waiting for play to catch up with him - but see Question 8 above.

- (c) Step off the field of play to clearly indicate that he is momentarily no longer taking part in the current active attacking move. He only then becomes onside when play has reached his level - but he should not participate in play if the stepping off the field was done to enable him to step back on and actively join the attacking action. This is deemed as 'trickery; and he should then be penalized for offside (having gained an advantage by stepping off the field of play.)

- (d) Move to a position where he is further to the opponents' goal line than the second last opponent - or level with the second last defender or level with both of the last two opponents. He also becomes onside if the positions of the defending opponents change so that he is no longer in an offside position when the ball is next played forwards by one of his teammates. He also becomes onside if he receives the ball from an opponent, after that opponent had played or gained possession of the ball.

- (e) If the ball goes out of play. For example - if the ball goes out of play for a throw-in; the player in the offside position then becomes onside - because you cannot be offside from a throw-in. Again, this is another tricky situation, especially if the offside player purposefully stays in an offside position because he can see that the ball is going out for a throw-in, and he makes no attempt to get back in an onside position whilst the ball is still on the field of play, but obviously traveling towards the touchline and eventually out of play. By taking this action, the offside player is purposefully gaining a momentary advantage by staying still in an offside position. But there is nothing the Referee can do in this situation because the ball has traveled out of play - and a player cannot be offside from a throw-in (or a corner or a goal kick in a similar situation). The Referee cannot anticipate play action, and should therefore NOT penalize the offside player if he subsequently receives the ball from a throw in. For example, whilst the ball is traveling towards the touchline - any manner of things could happen before the ball actually leaves the field of play. It doesn't matter whether there are no players near the ball, to influence its momentum. At the very worst - the ball could burst before it has left the field of play!

- (f) The player makes his way to a position where he is not in front of the ball when it is next played forward by one of his teammates.

Question 38: Is it possible for a player who gains (and retains) possession of the ball in his own half to be then penalized for being offside when he runs with the ball to any position within his opponents' half.

Answer 38: No. Offside is given at the moment the ball is touched or played by a teammate. In this instance, the player with the ball was in his own half, and is therefore not offside (Law 11 states that a player cannot be offside if he is in his own half of the field of play). This player is then permitted to take the ball anywhere on the field of play, without danger of being penalized for being offside. When this player subsequently moves into his opponents' half, he is not infringing any of the offside Laws - as long as he retains possession of the ball. He can only be deemed offside in his opponents' half if he releases the ball to a colleague, and then receives it directly back whilst being in an offside position. For example, if this player runs down to the opponents goal line and cuts the ball back sharply to an attacking colleague, and that attacking colleague directly returns the ball back to the first attacker who is now near the opponents' goal line and in an offside position, then the first attacker must be penalized of being offside. As soon as the first attacker releases possession of the ball, he becomes another 'of-the-ball' attacker.

Question 39: Just exactly where should the ball be placed after an attacker has been penalized for being offside?

Answer 39: Law 11 states that "for any offside infringement, the Referee awards an indirect free kick to the opposing team to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred” i.e. where the offside attacker was standing when he was deemed to be offside. The kick should NOT be taken from the place where the second-to-last defender was. Offside is given at the moment the ball is touched or played by a teammate. The ball must be placed on (or relatively near) to where the penalized offside player was when the ball was touched or passed to him by a colleague - but do not be too fussy with the exact positioning of the ball for the free kick - keep play going when you can, and do not exasperate players by insisting that the ball must be placed on the exact blade of grass on which the offender was standing when he was deemed to be offside.

On most occasions, players will correctly place the ball in line with the position indicated by the Assistant Referee, and near the place where the offside infringement occurred. On other occasions, the placement of the ball seems as though it's made with no (or little) reference to where the offside infringement actually occurred. The Referee must use Law 18 Common Sense when sanctioning the placement of the ball - it is rarely something, which teams will gripe about, so long as no advantage has been accrued by the wrong positioning of the ball. The aim is to get the game restarted as soon as possible, and not to be over-officious in insisting that the ball must be placed on the exact offside infringement spot. The Referee should allow a leeway of a few yards or so, but do not allow players to gain an advantage by doing so, and do not allow them to move the ball 10 yards or so from the actual infringement spot.

A Referee cannot be expected to identify and indicate the exact precise position to take every offside indirect free kick.

If the restart is taken some 10 yards away. The Referee needs to balance the following two points.

- (a) Did the defending team gain an undue advantage by taking the indirect free kick 10 yards away from the offside incident location? And

- (b) Would the repositioning of the ball in the correct position greatly delay the restart of the game?

If the defending team had gained a clear advantage by taking the kick some 10 yards away, then the Referee has no choice but to order the kick to be retaken from the correct spot. If no clear advantage had been gained - the Referee should allow the game to continue. This increases the flow and enjoyment of the game.

Secondly - the exact positioning of the ball at the offside indirect free kick can depend on which area of the field the kick is being taken from. If the indirect free kick is being taken near the defenders own goal line, the Referee can allow a greater degree of flexibility as to the placement of the ball, but the Referee will need to be more precise the nearer the indirect free kick position gets towards the halfway line. The Referee is between the 'Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' when allowing leeway during free kicks. The attacking team may berate the Referee for not allowing the kick to take place on the exact infringement spot. And the defending team may berate him for being too fussy in the positioning of the ball - and will accuse him of spoiling the flow of the game. One piece of general advice to new Referees', is do not be over-fussy in the placement of the ball prior to an offside free kick being taken. Continually insisting on the ball being in the exact position is probably one of the easiest ways to upset players and spoil the game.

Question 40: What is the punishment for offside?

Answer 40: An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, to be taken from the place where the offside infringement occurred. i.e. where the attacking player was standing when he was deemed to be offside.

Question 41: Can an attacking player be offside if he receives or intercepts a back-pass by a defender to his own goalkeeper?

Answer 41: No. A player in an offside position can only be deemed offside if the ball was last touched or played to him by a teammate. In this case, the ball was passed back by an opposition player.

Question 42: Can a offside player be penalized for being offside if he is standing in his opponents half and receives the ball direct from a free kick taken in his own penalty area.

Answer 42: Yes. A player standing in an offside position can be penalized for being offside if he receives the ball directly from a free kick (indirect or direct) taken from within his own penalty area.

When direct free kicks are awarded to the defending team in their own goal area, it can sometimes be very difficult for the Assistant Referee at the far end of the field, to see whether the Referee has awarded a direct free kick or a goal kick. Not knowing whether the restart is direct free kick or a goal kick, will make ensuing offside decisions difficult for this Assistant Referee - because an attacker cannot be offside from a goal kick - but can be offside from a free kick!

Question 43: An attacker was standing in an offside position (not interfering with play) when an onside attacking colleague shoots the ball towards goal. The ball hits the crossbar and rebounds to the offside attacker who shoots and scores a goal. Should the goal be allowed to count?

Answer 43: No. If the goal had been scored direct from the first shot, then it would most probably have been allowed to count - so long as the offside attacker had not interfered with play in any way.

But because the ball rebounded back to him from the crossbar, the goal scorer is deemed to have gained an advantage by being in that offside position - and therefore the goal does not count, and an indirect free kick should be awarded to the opposition - to be taken at the place the offside attacker was standing when the ball was first shot towards goal by his team-mate. In this scenario, the Referee finds himself having to give an offside decision some time after the original offside took place. Nevertheless, it is the correct decision by Law - albeit that the decision is a bit late.

Question 44: In cases of offside and place kicks, is a player standing directly on top of the half way line deemed to be standing inside his half of the field of play?

Answer 44: Use common sense, as there is no offence.

Question 45: A defender in his own half takes a throw-in a long many yards back from the touchline, and throws the ball to a colleague who then loses possession to an opposing attacker who plays the ball forward to a team mate who is goal-side of the last on-field defender, but NOT goal-side of the player who took the throw-in who is still standing off the field of play. Should the Referee penalize the attacker for being offside, or is the defender who is still off the field of play keeping the attacker on side?

Answer 45: In cases of this nature, the defender who is still off the field of play must be deemed to be 'On' the field of play, and therefore the attacker is in an on-side position, and play should be allowed to continue. The player who takes the throw in should enter the field of play as soon as he has taken the throw. If he purposefully stays off the field of play, then the Referee should assume that this player is ON the field of play when deciding offside situations.

Question 46: I was a Referee the other day, and I awarded a direct free kick to the defending team in it's own half. The last defender (not the goalkeeper) decides to take a quick free kick.... as he does so, a nearby opponent attempts (in my opinion), to get out of the way of the free kick. The ball then hits him dead smack in the middle of the back, bounces over the last defender who has just taken the free kick, and goes to a team mate of the opponent who is standing in an offside position about 5 yards behind the last defender. I penalized this opponent for being offside. He argued that because he did not receive the ball from an intentional pass, he should not have been penalized. I maintained that he had gained an advantage from being in that position.... who is correct?

Answer 46: If the free kick is taken inside the defenders own penalty area, then the ball does not come into play until it leaves the penalty area. The same rule applies to a goal kick.

("Law 13 If, when a free kick is taken by the defending team from inside its own penalty area, the ball is not kicked directly into play: the kick is retaken.")

So - if the free kick was taken inside the defender's penalty area, and the opponent is still within the 18-yard penalty area when the ball strikes him in the back, the kick must be taken again (because it has not yet come out of play by leaving the penalty area). All opponents must also stay out of the penalty area until the ball comes onto play.

If the free kick was taken inside the defender's penalty area and the opponent is outside the 18-yard penalty area when the ball strikes him in the back, the ball has come into play by leaving the penalty area, therefore normal rules now apply.

Note: If an opponent is genuinely moving away from a free kick, and the defending team decide to take a quick free kick, and it goes wrong (e.g. by hitting the opponent who is genuinely moving away but not yet 10 yards away - then hard luck. The defending team has tried to gain an advantage by taking the quick free kick, and because the advantage did not accrue, they should not be given a second chance to retake the kick. Just shout out... PLAY ON!!! (So long as the ball has come into play from the free kick).

Now we get to the tricky bit - offside or not offside. Law 11 (Offside)........ A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball TOUCHES or is played by one of his team, he is in the opinion of the Referee, involved with active play by.........etc etc..........."

Notice that I have capitalized the word TOUCHED. If the free kick was taken legally, the ball comes into play as soon as it either (a) leaves the defenders' penalty area, or (b) if the free kick was taken outside of the penalty area - by the ball being touched and moved. The ball is now in play, and normal offside rules apply.............

When the ball was TOUCHED by hitting the back of the opponent - the opponent's colleague was standing in an offside position 5 yards behind the last defender, with only the defending goalkeeper between him and the goal line at that precise moment that the ball hit (TOUCHED) his colleague's back. Because the ball then went directly to this offside opponent, he is deemed to have gained an advantage by being in that position when the ball was last TOUCHED to him by his colleague. Intention does not come into it - and should be discarded when making offside decisions. (For example, if an attacker goes to pass the ball to an onside colleague, but slices the ball, which them goes to an offside colleague - that offside colleague has gained an advantage by being where he is, and should be penalized for being offside. It therefore does not matter that the first opponent's intention was to pass the ball to the onside colleague.

In short, it sounds as though you made the correct offside decision. And at the very worst, it could only have been either the offside, or a retake of the free kick because it did not leave the penalty area when it struck the opponent. In both cases, the defenders would have got the correct decision.

Lastly - it's easy to decipher complex decisions in the cold light of day. It's much more difficult making them in an instant on the field of play. And to be honest, whatever decision you make (whether right or wrong) is the correct decision - so long as it is made honestly at that time.

My polite answer to any ongoing moans is to say to the player...,

"We've got a Referees' course coming up shortly,
you'll make a good Referee,
can I take your name for the course after the game"

Of course, they always answer along the lines of...,

"You would not catch me being a Referee for love or money!!!"

To be honest, I would probably have done the same as you in a game situation. This is where 'gut feeling' comes into play, and you know in your heart that the attacker should be penalized in this situation (even though you don't quite know why). Considering the complexity of this question - the players would not have a clue which is right and which is wrong.

But remember, offside is in the opinion of the Referee, so it does not matter what anybody else thinks.............. !!!!! YOU ARE ALWAYS RIGHT !!!!

Question 47: A goalkeeper kicks the ball but it only goes as far as 10 yards in front of the half way line still remaining inside that goalkeeper's own half of the field of play. If an attacking colleague from the goalkeeper's team was in an offside position in the opposite half when the ball was kicked, and he then proceeds to run inside his own half and challenge for the ball - should the Assistant Referee raise his flag to indicate offside, even though the attacker eventually touches the ball in his own half?

Answer 47: Interesting question, and one asked on many occasions by Referees learning their trade. The answer serves to clarify exactly when a player is deemed to be offside.

The thing to remember, is that Law 11 (Offside) clearly states that:

A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball * touches or is played by one of his team,
the player is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by:

- Interfering with play or

- Interfering with an opponent or

- Gaining an advantage by being in that position

- * Includes striking or glancing or deflected touches.

In this case, when the goalkeeper kicked the ball up field, the attacking colleague (at that precise moment of the kick) was in an offside position. If that attacker decides to remain passive – in other words, not to challenge for the ball, then although he is in an offside position, he should not be penalized – because it is not an offence to be in an offside position. It only becomes an offence if the attacker interferes with play or interferes with an opponent or has gained an advantage by being in that position. In this case, the attacker had gained an advantage by being in that offside position when the ball was kicked. It does not matter that the ball was still in the attackers own half of the field of play. At the moment the ball was kicked, the attacker was in an offside position, and subsequently made a move to challenge for the ball inside his own half. An indirect free kick should be awarded to the opposing team from the place that the attacker was in the opponent’s half when the ball was first kicked towards him (and not from the place where the attacker touched the ball in his own half).

Thanks to Mark Michael for this interesting question.

Question 48: Once the offside call was NOT made it in effect cleans the slate for further subsequent play to develop, independent of what just happened moments before since it was never called?

Answer 48: Wiping the slate following a decision NOT to award offside, is not quite as simple as wiping the slate.

For example: On-side Attacker No. 1 shoots towards goal, as he shoots, Attacker 2 is standing in an offside position but not interfering with play. The Referee decides NOT to stop play because of Attacker 2’s offside position. The ball subsequently hits the crossbar and rebounds to Attacker No. 2 who shoots and scores a goal. Attacker 2 must be penalized for being in an offside position at the exact moment when the ball was shot towards goal by Attacker No. 1. Attacker No. 2 had gained an advantage by being in that position when the first shot was made.

If the ball directly enters the goal instead of rebounding from the crossbar, then attacker No. 2 can only be penalized for being offside if he interferes with play, or if he interferes with an opponent (for example, if he was in the goalkeeper's line of sight as the ball was shot towards goal by Attacker No. 1).

Question 49: Everyone says offside occurs when the ball is passed, but Law 11 actually says "when the ball touches or is played by one of his team", which could include dribbling.

For example, Attackers A and B get a 2 on 1 with the second last defender. Attacking player A is dribbling the ball. Attacker B runs past the second last defender (i.e. into an offside position), causing the second last defender to move toward him (Attacker B) in anticipation of a pass being made by attacker A. This opens up a clear path to goal for attacker A who dribbles past the defender and towards the goal. By the time attacker A shoots (and scores), attacker B has drifted back on side, but the damage has been done. Should the offside be called on the dribble - at the point of time that A plays the ball (dribbles) forward into the space attacker B had vacated?

Answer 49: Yes you are correct in what Law 11 states, "It is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position." And "A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball touches (includes striking or glancing or deflected touches) or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the Referee, involved in active play."

When attacker B moves into an offside position, he can only be penalized for offside if he:

- (a) Interferes with play or
- (b) Interferes with an opponent or
- (c) Gains an advantage by being in that position.

In other words, if he gets involved in active play.

It is clear that as soon as player B moves into the offside position and out of the path of player A, this results in maneuvering the second last defending out of position, thus preventing that defender from providing cover against attacker A during the attack. This is clearly "Interfering with an opponent", and as such, attacker B should be penalized for offside. This is a very difficult call to make for the Referee and is not understood by many players and coaches – yet it is an offence under Law 11 Offside. Attacking player B has also gained an advantage by moving into this offside position – the advantage being that he instigated the maneuvers of the defender, thus giving his team-mate attacker A the advantage of a clear path to goal.

The touching of the ball during the dribble is not the issue. The issue is if the ball goes towards attacker B and attacker B makes a play to gain possession, or attacker B maneuvers the second last defender away from attacker A.

A defender facing this position should concentrate by moving forward towards the player with the ball (attacker A) because if the ball goes to attacker B and it was last touched or played by attacker A, then attacker B would be penalized for offside. If the defender moves towards attacker B, he increases the chance of the Referee allowing play to continue.

Many thanks to player Ted Robinson from the United States, for this interesting question.

Question 50: Does the ball have to be kicked forward for a player to be offside?

Answer 50: Not necessarily. It does not matter whether the ball is passed forwards, sideways or backwards - it is the exact position that an offside player was, when the ball was last touched by a colleague, and not the direction of the pass that counts.

Many thanks again to player Ted Robinson from the United States, for this interesting question.