Question Number: 23166

Law 11 - Offside 4/23/2010

RE: Rec, Select

Jace of PV, Arizona United States asks...

Can a player be offsides if they recieve the ball from thier side of the field but are on the other side in offsides position?

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Offside position is measured when the ball is kicked by the teammate, not when the ball is received. If a player is in offside position when the ball was last touched by a teammate, there is no place the attacker can run to become 'onside.'

An attacker who was in offside position is ineligible to participate in play until the ball is again touched by a teammate (and the attacker is now onside); the ball is possessed and controlled by the opponent; or the ball goes out of play.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Jace
The direction or location of where the pass came from is irrelevant when determining offside. It is only the position of the player receiving the ball that counts. A player cannot be offside if he is behind the ball or he is level with the second-last opponent.
So for example if a player is in an offside position in the attacking half and he touches a ball that is played to him by a team mate from his own half that is offside when he touches the ball.
Another example is say a team mate plays the ball back towards his own goal and a team mate who was in an offside position when the ball was played runs back to touch the ball that is offside also.
A player cannot be offside from a goal kick, a corner kick or a throw in at any time. The only time that a player cannot be offside on a pass from his own side of the field of play is directly from a goal kick or directly from a throw in.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

A player in an offside position when the ball is played or touched by a teammate may not become actively involved in play until offside resets. The exceptions are at a goal kick, corner kick, or throw-in.