Question Number: 15779

Law 11 - Offside 6/13/2007

RE: Travel/Premier/House Adult

Chris Reddy of Rochester, NY USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 15526

To follow up, (Question #15526), if the goalie never touched the ball, then according to Law 11, there is no offsides on a corner kick:

There is no offside offence if a player receives the ball directly from:

a goal kick or
a throw-in or
a corner kick

So why would offsides be called? Or better yet, at what point CAN someone be offsides after a corner kick?

Thanks

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Excellent question because you, effectively, ask what is "directly from" in the three cases mentioned in Law 11 - Offside [notice there is no 's'].

Directly from means the kicker hits [or the thrower throws] the ball and it comes to to you without it touching any other player. In the question you reference the ball touched another player before arriving at the one who scored. If that player was a defender offside position is not a factor, by definition! Law 11 - Offside says:

A player in an of offside position is only penalised if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by:

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Chris two things.
First;
Lose the s on the end of offside it is not required.
Secondly;
offside POSITION is not offside, it is a simply one of two requirements that is IGNORED on the three restart exceptions.
There are two parts to an
OFFSIDE INFRINGMENT
POSITION and then INVOLVMENT
These are ignored on the initial direct kick!

A deflection of the ball off an OPPONENT will not reset offside nor change the fact if there was no offside. What was stays as it was! So if the keeper, as a defending opponent on corner kicks has a deflection of the ball off him the offside position which is ignored on this restart remains in place.

If the keeper regains possession of the ball as he is the last player to touch the ball again no opposing offside position is considered! The exception on the corner has passed but the fact an opponent has control of the ball resets it to zero anyway!

Hopefully you can now understand it is ALLOWED for attackers to stand in an OFFSIDE position as it is NOT an offence to do so.
This is always so!
Where the exemption is, offside positioned attackers can INVOLVE themselves in a direct play for the ball as it swings into the middle as offside is exempt on the corner kick restart .

WE need a NEW physical touch of the ball by a teammate after the initial corner restart to evaluate offside criteria.

If there is blue attacking player standing on the corner of yellow's goal post and when the blue corner is taken he could be offside position or he could be even with the second last defender it makes no difference as offside involvement is accepted as an exemption.

However, if that blue player remains in that position at the corner goal post and after the corner kick comes into the middle a teammate of that blue attacker heads the ball towards him. At the moment that head touches the ball we REVALUATE offside position as ACTIVE and if he is NOW offside positioned then he is no longer exempt as the direct corner exemption was gone at the touch of the head on the ball. Assuming he is offside positioned when the team mate headed the ball, if he involves himself in play he could be guilty of an offside infringement!

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

After a corner kick is taken a player cannot be guilty of breaching law 11 (offside) until the ball is touched by a member of the attacking team. At this point you still wouldn't have offside though. Once that touch occurs you must now evaluate the position of all the players on the field and determine which attackers are in an offside position.

It is at this point that consideration of offside is returned to the equation, but not until the ball is touched by a teammate of the player taking the kick.

On a personal note it was nice working with you the other day Chris, I hope the knee feels better today.