Question Number: 24942

Law 11 - Offside 5/14/2011

RE: Competetive Under 14

Mike Tapley of Temecula, CA Riverside asks...

A defender on Team A passes the ball in the air to a player on his team who is in an on-side position when the pass is made. After the pass is made, the forward from Team A moves beyond the last defender to receive the ball, but the ball bounces off the head of the defender from Team B. Is the player offside?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

No. We look at where the attacking players are when the ball is played by a member of their team. When the ball was played by Team A the forward was in an onside position. He is free to go anywhere on the field and play the ball until offside resets and then all the attacking players positions would be re-evaluated. The ball being touched by an opponent does not reset offside. Offside resets when any of the following occur:

1. The ball goes out of play.
2. The ball is controlled by an opponent..
3. The ball is touched or played by a teammate.

But remember that for an offside OFFENSE to happen, the ball has to be last touched or played by a TEAMMATE. So even if the opponent had controlled the ball and reset offside, it would make no difference. When the ball is controlled and played by an opponent, there can be no offside .

Our former editor, mentor,instructor,assessor, and good friend, Major Chuck Fleischer who is dearly missed by us all, wrote a very clear and concise treatise on Law 11 Offside and it is published on our main page. I would suggest you read and study that and if you have any questions get back to us.

Thanks for sending in the question

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mike
Offside is only judged on the touch of a ball by a team mate not an opponent. So in the scenario you describe it is not offside as when the ball was last touched by the player on Team A, his team mate was in an onside position.
Where he receives the ball or if it touches a defender makes no difference after that.