Question Number: 24776

Law 11 - Offside 4/5/2011

RE: rec Under 12

david schwartzman of pittsburgh, PA United States asks...

can a player step off the field to avoid being called offside?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

She can, but there is no need to do so.

However, if the player steps off the field as a ploy to make the opponents believe she is avoiding offside, and then comes back on to join play, it is a caution.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi David
It is never a good idea for players to leave the field of play without the referee's permission other than as part of active play . However it is not an offence in itself for a player who is in an offside position to step off the field of play to show the referee that he is not involved in active play.
However, in the rare event where the referee considers that the player has left the field of play for tactical reasons and has gained an unfair advantage by re-entering the field of play, the player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour. The resart is an IDFK from where the offence took place.
Also the player needs to ask for the referee's permission to re-enter the field of play which is the difficult part as that rarely happens as when play continues the player just steps back on again. My advice is to focus only on the unfair advantage part.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Long ago, forwards took affirmative actions to show they were not participating in play (such as stepping off the field). Today, however, no one should be called offside for simply being in an offside position. There is no need to step off the field.

Players step off the field for many reasons without committing misconduct. The caution for leaving without permission generally will be used only when it is done in dissent or as, Ref Voshol notes, when it is part of a tactical ploy .