Question Number: 25679

Law 11 - Offside 10/29/2011

RE: rec Under 15

alex arko of los angeles, ca usa asks...

Team 'A' has a throw-in in their attacking half. The player throws the ball towards the goal and it glances off a defensive player before finally arriving at the foot of an offensive player, who was in an offside position since the throw-in occurred.

When is the no-offside advantage on a throw-in terminated? Was this player who received the ball offside? What if the ball had glanced off of an offensive player before getting to the final offside teammate?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Offside is reconsidered when the ball is played/touched by a teammate. Since that never happened, there was no offside offense in the play you describe.

If the ball had deflected off a teammate instead of an opponent, it would have been offside.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Alex
A player cannot be offside directly from a throw in. So in this case the last attacking player to touch the ball was the thrower which means that it cannot be offside. If the header/touch was by an attacking player then offside would apply as it is then not directly from the TI.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Hi Alex. Not to be overly critical but you as a referee have to know the ball from a throw in touching an opponent on the way to an offside positioned teammate of the thrower does not affect offside. Offside is only judged when the ball is last played or touched by a teammate and the last teammate to play the ball was the thrower and one cannot be guilty of an offside offense regardless of position when receiving the ball from a throw in. Now if the ball touches a teammate on the way, offside is reassessed and if the original player in question is still in an offside position when the ball touches his new teammate, he may not play the ball or he will be guilty of an offside offense.