Question Number: 30719

Law 11 - Offside 9/5/2016

RE: Ec High School

pete hoyt of san marcos, tx US asks...

Two attackers have beaten the 2nd to the last defender and converging on the keeper.Can player A legally pass the ball to player B since they are beyond the last defender? If so, does it matter if it is a forward or backwards pass?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Pete
In this situation offside continues to apply. To stay onside the 2nd B attacker must remain behind the ball. If the B attacker is ahead of the ball he will only have one player that is the goalkeeper between himself and the goal line which places him an offside position. The direction of the pass from team mate A is irrelevant as it is the position of the receiving player B at the moment of the pass that counts. Typically though if the pass is backwards it suggests that the team mate B was behind the ball which places him in sn onside position. That though is not always the case as the PIOP could come back from an offside position to play the ball that was passed backwards.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Pete,
Offside position is both behind the 2nd last defender AND in front of the ball. Both conditions have been met.
So when the ball-carrying attacker is past the 2nd last line of defence and has a teammate running alongside him, that teammate needs to be level with or behind the ball (any part of the body, except the arms, being in front of the ball puts that player in an offside position).
As Ref McHugh states, direction of the past is irrelevant - all that is important is the position of the players.