Question Number: 15996

Law 11 - Offside 7/11/2007

RE: Grade 8 certified ref and E Licensed coach Adult

Tracey Dean of wilton, CT US asks...

I've had several different answers from my fellow refs on this one... hope you can help. If a player is in an offsides position when ball is kicked by a teamate however jumps back into an onsides position in order to recieve the pass, is he still offsides? I have a feeling the answer is yes, but just wanted to double check.

Answer provided by Referee Jon Sommer

You should only receive one answer to this, and that is, as the player was in an offside position when the ball was played and became active in play, no matter where his position is now, he is offside. PLEASE note, the law is offside not offsideS.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Offside can be reset in 3 ways: 1. Teammate touches ball and 2. Opponents control ball. and 3. Ball leaves the field of play. If he was in an offside position at time teammate touched the ball, that player cannot get involved in the play until another teammate touches ball or defender controls ball. In which case a new decisions needs to be made as to the potential offside players position.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Tracey,
the key in resetting the involvement criteria by offside positioned players is nothing they do on their own changes anything. Someone else must act to reinvolve them into active play status. It could be either their opponents or their team mates.

Offside is reset if :
-the ball goes out of play (into touch for a goal corner or throw -in (offside is exempt in these cases) .
-the opposition regains uncontested control and possession of the ball thus the ball is no longer last touched by the team mate or a foul in favor of the opposition. (This foul idea goes back to the ball is not last touched by a teammate at the restart)
If the free kick was in favor of the offside positioned player's team while the kick will be a new touch of the ball by a team mate, positional changes would have to occur , otherwise the offside positioned attacker(s) could once again be rendered unable to rejoin play

-In keeping with that thought if a NEW last touch of the ball occurs by a team mate if the offside positioned player had been effectively returned to a point farther away from the opposing goal line than either the 2nd last opponent or was farther away from the opposing goal line than the ball at the new team mate's touch ofthe ball then he could rejoin play.

An offside player who runs back into his own half to try and escape his restriction changes nothing until one of the above items has occurred.

It is the same idea as an ONSIDE player can run into an offside position after a a last touch and still play the ball because that was not where he was when offside position was looked at.
An OFFSIDE player can run into an ONSIDE position after a last touch and he STILL can not play the ball for the SAME reason as the onside player COULD! That was not where he was when the referee LOOKS at the criteria and set the offside phase of play in motion.
Cheers