Question Number: 15269

Law 11 - Offside 4/24/2007

RE: competative Under 16

jeff of Ottawa, ON Canada asks...

A ball is kicked towards a teammate who is in an offside position. The offside player runs towards the ball and recieves it in an onside position. Should a call be made?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jeff,
it a often asked question by those who watch the game and highlights some basic principles of offside and in my opinion shows the weakness of an explanation in the laws of when you become eligible to rejoin play once you were offside.

Once you as a player are determined to be offside positioned NOTHING you as that player does can reset your inability to participate in play.

Running back into your own half or into an onside position may look ok but it does not cancel out the fact of where you were once the ball was last touched by your team-mate.

Here is how an offside positioned player is allowed to become onside
A) The opponents get the ball in controlled possession during ongoing play! note any free kick awarded to your opponent's will count as controlled possession.
B) a teammate retouches the ball and you are no longer in an offside position either by being even with or behind the ball or being even with or have at least two opponents all of which are closer to the opposing goal line than you are.
C) The ball goes into touch for a goal kick, corner kick, or throw in all three provide an exemption to offside
Note that a foul in your team's favor will reset the offside criteria by the fact the ball will be touched on the restart but here either you or your opponents must readjust on the restart to whether you remain offside positioned!
I also suggest you read our offside explanation by our resident guru on offside Ref Fleischer to help with clarification
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

The referee should give offside.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Clearly offside. A player CANNOT put themselves onside