Question Number: 23316

Law 11 - Offside 5/16/2010

RE: rec and select Under 12

Jim Aspell of West Hartford, Ct usa asks...

I am newly USSF certified this year and am still working my way through offsides calls. If an attacking player passes the ball to a team mate who at the time of the pass is in an offsides position, but by the time the pass reaches him/her she is onsides, is that a foul, or does the foul occur at the time of the pass? How can I assume the pass is intended for the player in the offisides position rather than one of the team mates that is onsides? I know this sounds like a stupid question, but with the little kids, it is actually harder to judge. They tend to bunch up and before they receive the ball (but in an offsides position) they tend to be only 6 to 12 inches ahead of the 2d to last defender.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Aspell
A player in an 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. In the example you give, the attacker who is in an offside position when the ball is played by a team mate then touches the ball in an onside position that is indeed offside. If he did not become involved in active play there would be no offence. It is irrelevant who the ball was meant for just that a player in an offside position interferes with play or interferes with an opponent.
FIFA has an excellent interactive resource on Law 11 and it can be viewed at
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/lawsofthegame.html

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Each and every time a teammate touches the ball, the assistant referee needs to take a snapshot in her mind, recording any players in offside positions. If that player then becomes involved in play before another touch of the ball by a teammate, offside is to be called. It doesn't matter where that player or the opponents move in the meantime.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Offside position is measured when the ball is touched or played by a teammate, not when the ball arrives.

Being in an offside position, however, is not an offense, and the referee doesn't care to whom the pass was intended. If the player in offside position has interfered with an opponent (by hindering the opponent's ability to see or play the ball), the offside infringement can occur before the ball arrives. Otherwise, the referee will wait to see if the player in offside position has interfered with play by touching the ball. The flag will stay down until the ball is touched. (Outside the US, the flag may go up when it is clear that no teammate from an onside position will be able to touch the ball; in the US, we teach that the only way to know for sure is to wait to see who actually touches it.)

Note also: offside is an infringement of Law 11. It is not a foul.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Jim, offside is something you have to spend time on to understand but it needs to be done. Read, watch, ask questions, whatever. Just make sure you understand Law 11. It doesn't matter who the pass was 'intended' for. Keep it simple. Any player who is in offside position when the ball is touched or played by a teammate may not participate in play until offside resets and a player may not put himself onside. If you as an AR are unsure about an offside call, then keep the flag down.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

It is good you are asking questions. Learn to use the terminology as it is written in the LOTG - it is 'offside', singular - not plural.

Being offside is an offense against the game but not a foul (fouls are found only in Law 12). However, it is never an offense to be in an offside position.

To be offside is a two part equation: position + involvement = offside

The hardest part about making an offside call is having to wait to see what happens after a ball is touched by a teammate in the direction of a player who was in an offside position at the time of the touch. It matters not where he is (position wise) when the ball comes to him, only where he was when the ball was last touched by the teammate.

A player cannot put himself back onside. That requires either the ball going out of play, a defender gaining control and possession, or an onside teammate making another touch on the ball, at which time we check to see if the original player in offside position is now back behind the ball and/or the second to last defender.

If you can commit all of that to memory, and then read the very instructive piece on offside here on this site, along with the one provided by Ref McHugh, you should be on your way to making excellent calls (or no call, as the case may be). Good luck!

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 23337