Question Number: 23409

Law 16 - Goal Kick 6/2/2010

RE: Amateur Adult

Ruben of Portugal, Portugal Portugal asks...

Hello! I wish that you would help me clarify a doubt, the doubt is this: which is the principle/theory and what reason because don't exist off-side in a goal kick? And what would happen if there was offside when a player scores a goal kick? In other words,i wanted to ask was which is why the people who created it offside said they had no outside game on a goal kick? I've thought of two possible answers: 1 - to prevent the players to accumulate on the halfway line and thus help the game to flow by encouraging the attack. 2 - in law 16, the procedure say that 'the ball is kicked from any point Within the goal area by a player of the defending team', then it is a defense to kick the ball, can not be offside, then there is not an offside pass or kick made by the defense. What do you think?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

It is my belief that this is a carryover from long, long ago. Originally, you were in an offside position any time that you were ahead of the ball. End of sentence - no exceptions for numbers of opponents between you and the goal. Under those conditions, it would be virtually impossible to not be in an offside position when the goal kick was taken. (And if my memory serves, at one time goal kicks were taken from the goal line, ensuring that everyone was in an offside position!) Therefore the exemption from offside at a goal kick was created, and continues to this day.

It does serve one useful purpose yet today: it makes remembering the offside exemptions easier. If the ball is received directly from a restart after the it had been off the field, there is no offside. All three versions are exempted: throw-in, corner kick, and goal kick.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Ruben
When the game was 1st invented every player of the team in possession had to be behind the ball and the ball was advanced by playing sideways across the field of play or by dribbling the ball forward. Clearly it was not possible to have every player behind the ball at a goal kick and as a result offside was not applied. Neither did offside apply at a throw in as the ball could not be thrown forward and every player had to be behind the ball. When Law 11 was amended many times over the years these parts of the law were not changed so that is why offside does not apply in these restarts.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Both my colleagues give excellent answers as to the origin but when offside was redefined it would have been logical to rescind the allowance at goal kick, corner kick, and throw in. Also, you're confused by what LOTG mean when they say the kick is taken by any member of the defending team. The team taking the goal kick is now, in reality, the attacking team. I also doubt anyone worried about players on the halfway line as that's exactly what happens on many free kicks and it's one of the most exciting things to witness in a soccer game when the attacking team does this to defeat an offside trap.

Why still no offside at these 3 restarts is anybody's guess. Me, I think IFAB just doesn't want to change something that's been around forever. Plus, with the athletes out there now, they can boom the ball 20-40 yards past the halfway line so this gives added scoring opportunities