Question Number: 16445

Law 11 - Offside 8/27/2007

RE: Adult

Tom collett of Wolverhampton, West Midlands asks...

Hi, if a player is in an offside position, say in the centre of the oppositions half and the ball is played forward to either flank and another teamate runs onto the ball from an onside position and moves forward of his teamate in the offside position and crosses the ball back to that teamate who is forward of any defender, is that an offside offence?

Regards Tom

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Tom, once a new teammate touches the ball...then offside position is reset. In other words, if a teammate touches the ball and the next teammate to become involved in play was onside at the time of that touch, there is no infraction.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

It sounds like your teammate on the flank with the ball is ahead of the originally offside-positioned player at the time of the cross. Remember that offside position has 3 parts, the first being ahead of the ball (the other two, ahead of the 2nd to last defender and in the attacking half). Since the player in the center is no longer in an offside position at the time his teammate last touches the ball, he is free to become involved in play. Prior to that he was not involved in play because the ball went out to the flank not center. (Unless he did something at his center position to interfere with an opponent, but you do not mention that.)