Question Number: 23803

Law 11 - Offside 8/21/2010

RE: Competitive Under 15

Greg Kidd of Palm Bay, FL USA asks...

Is there such a thing as an 'over and back' rule in soccer? My daughter was called for an 'over and back' penalty during a tournament today. I asked the head ref and he said it was when a player returns from an offside postion to gain an advantage over an opponent. Wouldn't this simply be offside? I'm not contesting the call, I just haven't been able to locate an explanation of 'over and back' from any of the online soccer sources. Thanks.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

It is simply offside. Once in an offside position when the ball is touched/played by a teammate, you cannot participate in play, even if you move to an onside location. There has to be another touch of the ball by a teammate to reset your 'offsidedness'.

The referee or AR may make a signal like over-and-back to explain the call, but it is not a separate rule.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Greg
There is no such term in soccer. I believe it is used in basketball where the offensive team crosses the half court line and then crosses back into the back court.
A player is simply offside and sometimes a referee tries to explain an offside situation where a player comes from an offside position after the ball is played but then plays/touches the ball in a clear onside position. It would have been better if he had said ''Offside. Player X was in an offside position when the ball was played''
Sometimes ARs make an unofficial signal by moving the hand a number of times over the top of the raised offside flag to show that the player came from behind the defensive line to play the ball in front of the defenders. That would be an over and back motion but it is not a term.

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