Question Number: 29166

Law 11 - Offside 2/11/2015

RE: Youth to adult, comp and rec. Other

Barry Stewart of Chilliwack, BC Canada asks...

This question is a follow up to question 29165

Further to Joe McHugh's reference to the Bradford vs MK Dons game. The defender made a clearing kick from deep in his area, then the receiving team-mate came from an offside position in the other half and ran into his own half to touch the ball.

I would hope that the IDFK was spotted where the offside player was standing when the defender's kick was made. It is not possible for the attacking team to be given an offside free kick that is spotted in the defenders' half.

This may have been what the OP was getting at in the original question.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Barry
The IDFK was taken in the other half not in the half where the PIOP touched the ball. I interpreted that the question was concerning whether offside was at all possible (in the players own half) rather than the location of the restart. I might add that the referee in the game mentioned had to insist a number of times that the ball to be moved back over the half way line as the kicking team was attempting to restart by not taking the ball back over the half way line for the indirect free kick.