Question Number: 32065

Law 11 - Offside 11/29/2017

RE: Adult

Muhammad Rizwan Khan of Abbottabad, KPK P asks...

Sir, If a attacker player while chasing the ball cross the goal line and kick the ball with his heel back into the field and in the same moment the defender came and gets the ball and passes it to his goalkeeper. I mean the attacker cant control himself and cross the goal-line and pushed back the ball into the grounds and defender collect it and passes through his goalkeeper but in the mean time attacker enter into ground and gets the ball between goalkeeper and defender ball and scored.. is it a offside.. ?

1. Im confusing that it not an offside because ball was passes through opponent.

2. Im confusing that he is offside as he came out of the goal line?

what you say..

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Muhammad
The question the referee has to ask is whether the attacker was offside when he plays the ball back with his heel. If the attacker was not called offside at that touch then play continues and then it is not possible for him to be offside once the opponents play the ball.
If it was not offside at the first touch by the attacker on the goal line then it is simply an interception as described. A player CANNOT be offside from a deliberate play by an opponent no matter his position on the field of play.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Muhammad,
It depends whether the player who back-heeled the ball was in an offside position when the ball was last touched by a team mate. There is nothing in the events that you describe, that would constitute an offside offence.