Question Number: 23604

Law 11 - Offside 7/3/2010

RE: Rec Adult

Dutch of Colorado Springs, Colorado USA asks...

I used to do some part-time officiating for a adult co-ed recreational league (not recommended for those without patience). I have a question regarding passive/active offsides. Does a player become active immediately if he makes a move towards a bsll? I would call a play offsides if an offside player even made an attempt to run onto a pass. Just curious if that was the right call in retrospect. My reasoning: If a player moves towards a ball initially and then realizes he's offsides, stops, and walks away from the ball, the defense has had to make an adjustment which might give the advantage to the player that was onside and is now the only player running toward the ball.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Dutch
There used to be the case in Law 11 when a player in an offside position could not become involved in active play without being penalised for offside. The Law was amended in 2005 and interfering with play now means playing or touching the ball that is passed to the player in an offside position. However the player in an offside position still cannot interfere with an opponent which means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent. Running towards the ball on its own is not seen as interfering with an opponent.
In the example say where two team mates are running for the ball, one in an onside position and other in an offside position, the referee has to wait until one of the players touches the ball to determine offside.
Where the referee is certain that a lone offside positioned player will touch the ball the offence can be called without the requirement of a touch on the ball by that player.
One of the problems facing referees is that the football community has not moved on in respect of Law 11 and many still use the older interpretations of offside law. When offside is not awarded in the situation you desribe it does cause problems for the referee as many players see it as an infringement which it is not.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

There is no such thing any more, if ever there was, of passive/active offside. In the situation outlined, where a player in an offside position is moving toward the ball but stops and walks away, if he is called for offside, he has just been punished for being in an offside position - which the first line of Law 11 says we cannot do.

OFFSIDE = POSITION (at the time the ball is last touched by a teammate) + INVOLVEMENT (interfering with play, with an opponent or gaining an advantage - this last one means playing a rebound or deflection from a defender or any part of the goal).

Basically, all offside participation is active. If they are not involved, they are only in an offside position.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Running toward the ball is not enough. Another teammate may run from an onside position and validly play the ball. A defender may reach the ball with an unmolested ability to play it.

A player in offside position should be punished only for touching the ball or interfering with an opponent's ability to see or play the ball. Outside the United States, if the referee judges that no one in offside position will be able to play the ball, the flag may go up before the player in offside position actually plays the ball. The US advice is to wait and see for sure who touches it.