Question Number: 29165

Law 11 - Offside 2/9/2015

RE: Adult

Matthew of Syston, Leicestershire England asks...

Can a player be given offside receiving a ball in his own half having come from the opponents half , from an offside position ?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Matthew
YES. offside Once a player is deemed to be offside at the last touch of the ball by a team mate NOTHING that restricted offside positioned player can do by himself will lift that restriction.

That includes running back into his own half or what looks like an onside position.

The phrase, you can not be offside in your half, confuses some. They forget the point of an offside infraction is WHERE the player WAS when the position was 1st determined at the time of the last team mate touch, not where he winds up later, to participate in play. Once caught offside in the opponents' half you are not set free returning to your own half. The INDFK would be BACK inside the opposition 's half where the offside position WAS established.

Look over our offside explanation on the main site.
I have a shirt made up to explain offside the caption reads
'I can explain it to you but I can not understand it for you!' lol
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Matthew
Yes that it is possible. It makes no difference where the player in an offside position touches the ball to interfere with play just the players location when the ball was played by a team mate. That is the location the indirect free kick which will be taken from the opponents half.
I watched Bradford City v MK Dons on Monday Night Football and this very situation happened. A Bradford City player was in an offside position in the opponents half and the ball was cleared high up in the air by a Bradford player deep in his own half. A Bradford player in an offside position in the opponents half ran some 20 / 25 yards to play the ball which was called offside the moment he touched it. Many Bradford supporters / players thought it was a whistle for the end of the game as there was no possible foul. The AR though correctly flagged for offside. Rare that it happens at that extreme. Most common situation is a player coming back from an offside position playing the ball in front of the defenders in what then is an onside position. It is still offside though. It just so happens that when the half way line is crossed to play the ball it make no difference either to the offside decision..

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See Question: 29166