Question Number: 22714

Law 11 - Offside 1/11/2010

RE: High School

Joe Sereno of Gaylord, MI USA asks...

Laws of the Game Advice to Referees(p.101)states:

'When an offside offence occurs, the referee awards an indirect free kick to be
taken from the position of the offending player when the ball was last played
to him by one of his team-mates.'

My question concerns the location of the foul and spot of the ball when it states 'from the position of the offending player.' I am asking this as I have heard the restart should be where the offending player is located. But what if the player is 20 yards past the next to last defender?

Thank you for sharing your time and experience.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

The restart position is the same patch of grass where the offside player IS initially restricted by his position on the field when his team mate touches the ball!

And yes if the restricted player was standing 20 yards in behind the 2nd last opponent when the positional restriction is applied then that is the CORRECT spot of the restart location under the way the LOTG currently read.

The INDFK restart though is one where it is a loss of possession from a technical breach of the laws. Not a scoring threat usually unless near midfield and a hopeful lob into the opposing penalty area is their idea of a good chance.

Under the concept of allowing a match to proceed without nit picking the doubtful or trifling aspects of an exact blade of grass restart as is a PK, the offside the indfk is usually afforded wide latitude in the general vicinity of the restart area! Unfortunately this lax practise tends to help perpetuate the myth of the restart location.

I like to be with in reason (about 5 yards length and 10 yards wide (thus 10 by 20 )) but if the ball is spotted and kicked to a team mate to restart the play with no horrendous injustice to the opposing team or affront to the dignity of the match as in dissenting the AR or referee indicating where the restart is to occur it really is a non impacting restart as restarts go! I would say the restart location occurring farther back tends to be ovelooked more than a restart that moves farther ahead!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The restart is based on the attacker's position at the moment the ball initially touched or played by the teammate. That may be far from the location of the 2L defender, the ball, or the assistant referee with a flag in the air.

The AR can help with the correct location for the restart by moving along the touchline after the referee stops play for the offside. The defense will usually line up the restart with the AR.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

I'm not really sure what your question is. You are restating what Law 11 says in different words. The restart is where the offside positioned player was when the ball was played by his teammate. If thats 1,10,20,30 yards past the next to last opponent then so be it

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Sereno
Perhaps the best way to explain this is to give an extreme example.
Say a lone attacker was located on the goal line and the ball is cleared away by the defence who all push up to the half way line. The attacker does not move position for whatever reason, could be injury, cramp. The ball is then played forward by the attacker's team mate and the attacker in the offside position plays the ball beside the goal line, having remained in that same position. He is offside and the indirect free kick is from where he was positioned, that is beside the goal line, when the ball was played by his team mate. That is over 50 yards away from the position of the defenders at the half way line.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Consider an extreme counter-example. The offside positioned player is 10 yards into the attacking half. No opponent except the goalkeeper is beyond the half line. The ball is played toward midfield, and the offside positioned player runs 35 yards back to receive it on her own half. She is flagged for offside, because she was in an offside position when the ball was played by her teammate. But the spot for the restart is not 25 yards inside her defending half of the field. It is where she was determined to be in an offside position at the time the ball was last touched/played by a teammate.