Question Number: 31430

Law 11 - Offside 4/5/2017

Zluvka of Liberec, Czech Republic Czech Republic asks...

This question is a follow up to question 31421

Thank you. I have two other questions.

1) Player returns to the field. His team makes several passes (new situations for offside decision). Is this player deemed as a player in an offside throughout the event? Or as usual? (new situation, new decision?)

2) When the referee whistles? Only when the player involved in play?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Zluvka
On your first question each touch by a team mate is a new phase of play. So the returning player will be judged for offside on the last touch by his team mate not previous touches / plays. What happened before that is past and not relevant to the new phase of play. It is the last touch / pass that counts for offside.
When deciding on offside the referee will call the offence when the player in an offside position interferes with play or an opponent. If the player in an offside position does nothing to interfere then there is no offence so the referee does not stop play.
Always remember that it is not an offence to be in an offside position. The player in that position has to do something more such as play the ball, challenge an opponent, get in the line of sight of an opponent to the ball etc.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Zluvka,
ask away we appreciate the confidence you have in thinking we can be of help.

NO ,
If the player OFF the FOP makes his way back across the goal line back onto the FOP and has done nothing to that point to force a referee stoppage while his teammates are in control of the ball, then every new touch of that ball will re-evaluate his position respective to the 2nd last opponent and the goal line. Determining IF he is STILL in an offside position or is no longer in an offside position as other players and ball location have shifted sufficiently to change the situation.

Consider this ONCE a player is RESTRICTED as a PIOP (player in an offside position) NOTHING that player can do on his own will relieve that condition including going back into his own half of the field.
One of three things must occur

(1)New touch of the ball by a teammate finds him no longer in an offside position

(2)The opposition deliberately plays the ball (discounting the deliberate save is looked at as a rebound) and or secures ball possession

(3)The ball goes out of play

It is CRUCIAL players remember the FLAG is ONLY a signal to the CR who CAN choose to disregard the flag based on his own set of observational knowledge. The AR will only raise a flag if in HIS opinion the 100% offside restricted attacker is 100% INVOLVED in play by interfering with the opponent or actually touches the ball. If he is unsure & a goal did occur he then waits to confer with the CR to pass on relevant information.
This is why as a player you never stop playing until you HEAR the whistle.
Cheers

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

See Question: 31436