Question Number: 35214

Law 11 - Offside 11/9/2023

RE: Adult

Jack Maddox of Rochdale , Greater Manchester UK asks...

In recent games Tottenham v Chelsea and Arsenal v Sevilla the same incident has occurred. Chelsea second goal the ball was played through for Sterling on the wing, Jackson was way offside in the centre. Sterling crossed the ball and Jackson scored.
Arsenal winger Sake ran on to a through ball out wide. and Trossard was wrong side of tha defence but joined in the attack to score the goal.
How have these goals been allowed to stand?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jack
Thanks for the question

The opening line of Law 11 states that it is not an offence to be in an offside position.
To be called offside a player in an offside position has to do something more to be called offside which is either interfering with play by touching the ball or interfering with an opponent which generally means challenging for the ball, being in a line of sight etc.

In the examples you cite the players receiving the ball were all in onside positions and while the scorers may have started out in offside positions those players did not interfere in the first phase of play so no offside is possible.
When the onside player in each example played the ball that player began a new phase of play so when they finally played the ball to the scorers those players who were in original offside positions were then in onside positions so no offence.

In fact it is a tactic of the modern game such as at free kicks. Attacker will stand in an offside position knowing that they are unlikely to be marked and then wait for the ball to be played well away from them to an onside team who begins what is called a second phase of play. That second phase of play usually positions all team mates into onside position so no offside offence.

Some in the modern game do not like these situations where clearly offside positioned players are not called offside and they then gain a benefit from that 2nd phase of play by perhaps having a head start in a run away from defenders or that it is more difficult to get goal side say at a free kick on a 2nd phase play.

Taken at its extreme a lone attacker could stand in the penalty area maybe 30/40 yards offside and wait for a team mate to get beyond the lone PIOP attacker with the ball to put the attacker in an onside position and be able to get involved legally in active play. No offside is possible there under Law 11.

So if teams want to play offside as a tactic which Spurs and Sevilla did they need to ensure that they plan for a possible 2nd phase of play after an onside positioned player puts every attacker in an onside position.
I thought Spurs were naive in playing offside in the manner shown as one simple through ball for an onside positioned player to run on to created acres of space with previously offside positioned attacker/s all now placed onside beyond the offside line by the run of the onside player on to the ball and then defenders playing catch up.
I was somewhat surprised that Chelsea did not make more use of attackers running from onside positions to beat the pushed up offside trap?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jack,
the simple explanation is they were initially offside restricted , but they REGAINED playing status when their offside restriction was LIFTED! because
(A)If no 2nd last opponent, the BALL itself becomes that imaginary offside line. Eventually they were NOT closer to the opposing goal line when their team mate touched the ball.
(B) until then they they had not INTERFERED with any opponent
(3) until then they never touched the ball until AFTER the restriction was lifted!

It is rather ironic that offside escapes the understanding off so many, despite its basic premise as a TWO part equation that has remained essentially the same for so many years except for the recent restart location switch. .

The first part POSITION: which restricts the player from getting INVOLVED (the 2nd part of the equation ) simply by being in the opposing half of the FOP, closer to the opposing goal line than either the ball or the 2nd last opponent when a TEAM MATE plays/touches the ball. Imagine that at EVERY single physical touch of the ball a FREEZE FRAME PICTURE is taken isolating all players exactly where they are up and down the pitch. Each touch is a NEW phase of play

Think on how a team player dribbling the ball affects these freeze frame shots / Lets say he starts the run at midline, his teammate NUMBER 9 is inside the opposition half 30 yards away some 10 yards behind the 2nd last opponent as his incoming teammate is deking the defenders like Messi making makes 5 touches on the ball. EVERY single touch we freeze frame and every single time our Number 9 player is still in behind the 2nd last opponent and is closer to the opposing goal line than the ball even though the 2nd last opponents is dropping back to give chase to the ball carrier . Recognizing his teammate is coming into scoring range our RESTRICTED PIOP number #9 player starts a shuffling run preparing to rejoin play moving even closer to the opposing goal line remaining closer than the 2ndlast defender and ball .

Wait, he is offside positioned why can he participate if he cannot play the ball while restricted? This is why we emphasize the first part of offside in the LOTG by stating it is NOT an offence to BE in an offside position.

Now on the 6th touch by the deking team mate our #9 player is still offside position but the teammate hits it heavy and the ball rolls out in front of PLAYER 9 pursued by the 2nd last defender. Our player #9 runs after the ball cuts over and does a fair looking shoulder barge on the 2nd last opponent before the the opponent can get to the ball , #9 player shoots and scores a glorious goal past the keeper and another 3rd defender who had gotten back ? Correct? He does not LOOK offside when the goal is scored? No? Well yes no goal .The 6th phase of play is STIL in effect no restriction was lifted

There was 3 opponents between him and the goal, the defender he fairly shoulder charged and the keeper and this 3rd defender who almost intercepted ball on its way into the goal but only deflected it past the outstretched keeper. The ball was out ahead of him closer to the opposing goal line, so why is the goal nullified as no good?

BECAUSE: the 6th touch of FREEZE frame had the #9 player position as CLOSER to the opposing goal line than either the 2nd last opponent or the ball. The FACT both the ball moved forward as did the 2nd last opponent and even more a 3rd opponent to BE closer to the opposing goal line does not CHANGE the fact #9 position was STILL offside and thus STILL restricted just as he was on the other 5 touches. An astute AR would have raised the flag prior to the shoulder charge as that was interfering with an opponent while RESTRICED from involvement even before player #9 ever touched the ball itself which, even if the opponent was not interfered with, it would have been interfering with play by physical touching the ball, as such no goal could take place! NO GOAL offside, INDFK out! from the shoulder charge interference INVOLVED position.

Ok, that goal was no good, but lets take the same situation except this time #9 player is off to the side ambling along but his teammate has caught up to him just after the 5th touch and now the ball is slightly ahead, closer to the opposing goal line then the #9 player, when that heavy 6th touch sends the ball forward out in front of PLAYER #9 pursued by the 2nd last defender. Our player #9 runs after the ball cuts over and does a fair looking shoulder barge on the 2nd last opponent before the the opponent can get to the ball , #9 player shoots and scores a glorious goal past the keeper and another 3rd defender who had gotten back ? Correct? He does not LOOK offside when the goal is scored? better yet he was UNRESTRICTED after that 6th touch and guess what, it's a legitimate goal! Why because the 6th phase of play LIFTED the restriction imposed by the first 5.

Hit the offside explanation link on the top right of our home page for greater details .

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Jack,
The goals were allowed to stand because no offside offence was committed by the player who ended up scoring.

In order to commit an offside offence, a player has to be in an offside position at the moment the ball was last touched by a team mate, before that player becomes involved in active play. In both the examples you give, the player in question, while in an offside position at an earlier time, was not in an offside position when the ball was played to them.

This exact scenario is covered in a section of the laws document entitled, "Guidelines for Match Officials: Other Advice: Offside"

If states as follows:

"An attacker (C) is in an offside position, not interfering with an opponent, when a team-mate (A) passes the ball to player (B1) in an onside position who runs towards the opponents’ goal and passes the ball (B2) to team-mate (C). Attacker (C) was in an onside position when the ball was passed, so cannot be penalised."

In the accompanying diagram, B1 and B2 are the positions of the onside-positioned player B, 1) when the ball is passed to them and 2) when they pass the ball to player C.