Question Number: 31114

Law 11 - Offside 12/15/2016

RE: Adult

Wellinghammer of London, England asks...

Twice this season my team has conceded a free kick in their own half for offside. The players had been in an offside position in the opponents half but came back into their own half to play the ball. Surely as soon as he came back into his own half he ceased to be offside?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
Not so. The player was in an offside position at the moment the ball was played and the player in an offside position met the final condition of offside by playing / touching the ball which so happened to be in his own half. In June 2016 Law 11 was updated by IFAB, the law making body, in that the indirect free kick is now taken from where the ball is played which in this case will be in the players own half. Heretofore the IDFK was taken from the offside position at the moment the ball was played by a team mate. That is no longer the case and it shows that offside continues to apply with the offside positioned player unable to put himself back in an onside position in such situations even by returning to his own half to play the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Even before the latest changes, a player who was in an offside position when the ball was played and then came back to play the ball in his own half would still have been guilty of an offside offence. The only difference now is the position of the free kick. In the past, the kick would have been taken from where the player was when the ball was last touched by a team mate. Now it is taken from where the player becomes active, even if that is on his own half.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 31119