Question Number: 31024

Law 11 - Offside 11/15/2016

RE: Rec Adult

Mark of Armonk, NY USA asks...

I'm sure this is addressed somewhere but I couldn't find it. You see it every week on Premiership broadcasts - it comes up most often in free kick situations - but it's not really discussed clearly. if attackers and defenders are lined up/in a line, at what point is an attacker adjudged in an offside position. Clearly, if they are beyond the second to last defender but what about when they are all but lined up and the attacker is leaning towards the opponent's goal while the defenders are standing straight up or leaning away from their goal? I always understood the application to be that you view the defenders as creating an invisible wall from their position closest to their goal and if the attacker breaks that 'plane' (apologies for using an American football concept), the attacker is offside. My understanding is this would also apply to an attacker standing at midfield if s/he is leaning over the line. I realize that the level of play probably comes into consideration here but what is the correct call at the pro/national team level? Thank you!

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mark
The plane concept is not unique to american football and it works well in the offside context with the one exception that the arms which cannot play the ball are not included. So it has to be a foot, leg, head that breaks the plane. The same applies to the defending side in that offside is judged off the part of the defender nearest to the goal line that can legally play the ball.
Have a look at this video as far as 2.30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCyP92TVWSQ&t=1m42s
The video explains the calculation with the dotted line being taken off the players body excluding the arms
The video is now dated in some parts yet this section still remains valid

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Mark,
you have a good grasp of offside. It is the usual PLAYABLE body parts, a head leaning closer than the back of an ankle in a shoe or the leading toe off a follow through. The midline lean, technically the head is in the opposing half despite your feet in your half. You stride forward your leading leg can move past an upright player. The arms are not included in the offside closer definition, not because (as I was taught earlier) they can not legally play the ball! Given the keeper CAN do so within his own area but it was due to the ARs world wide inability to be able to correctly identify the exact position of the hands and arms making it nearly impossible to determine which one is closer . See we learn all the time!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Mark,
As my colleagues have mentioned, it is the parts of a player that can legally play the ball that count in this situation.

The exact wording in the Laws is:

''A player is in an offside position if:

any part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents' half (excluding the halfway line) and
any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent

The hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered''.

Incidentally, the level of play makes no difference - the same law would apply at all levels.