Question Number: 26658

Law 11 - Offside 8/21/2012

Mark of Seattle, WA US asks...

This question is a follow up to question 26634

What I see in the answers can still be misleading or still can be confusing on placement of the restart. We have the good old English language 500 words with 2000 meanings.
I do not see a dispute were we all agree the person "B" is in an offside position in the opponents side of the field. The question is where do I place the ball when the player "B" becomes active in the play establishing the offside call? I see the responses "where the player was" offside position; "player initially was"; where he was when the ball was played; and where the player WAS located? ball last touched by a teammate.
Leaves the questions, "stop play by the whistle" player "B" when he committed the offside by interfering, activity becomes involves in the play, or touches the ball the placement is where the ball is at the time the play is called dead by the whistle. Correct? Back to the original question, where is the free kick taken from? The placement could be on his own DEFENDING teams side. It is where at the time the "ball is" when player "B" is interfering, becomes involved in or touches the ball.
I surly do not see the restart being at the placement where the player was, or initially was. If team mate player "A" kicks the ball from near their own defending penalty 18 yard line toward the opponents direction and his team mate "B" is in an offside position coming back from the opponents goal box line and touches the ball on his own defending side the ball is placed on the opponents goal box line (this is wrong). It should be place on their own defending side where player "B" touches the ball or activity becomes involved (correct). scratch this 'no where he was in an offside position'
in an offside position

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mark
I don't believe you fully grasp the answers given and it is not confusing or misleading. The IDFK is taken from where the player was positioned offside when the ball was played by his team mate.
The offence is the player being in an offside position and then meeting the final condition which is touching the ball. The offence is not the touch of the ball.
Lets say the player did not move an inch from location X, the offside position and he meets the final offside condition of touching the ball. The IDFK would be taken at that location X and both are neatly together. Lets say the player moves 50 yards from location X to a new position location Y after the ball is kicked. Same scenario except the player moves to meet the offside condition. The IDFK is still taken from location X, the offside position which is the location of the offence.
The IDFK should NOT be taken from where the player touched the ball, location Y or where the player becomes active nor from where the referee stopped play. It just so happens that the player met the final condition of the offence by touching the ball in a different position, location Y, from where the offence took place.
In your example the offside offence took place on the goal area line and that is where the IDFK must be taken from. The player even if he ran 50 yards back into his own half and touched the ball in his own half the referee would move the ball back to where the offence took place that is the goal area line.
Another example would be two team mates running after a ball with one player starting in an offside position. The AR would delay the offside call until it becomes clear which player touches the ball. Those players could run 20/30 yards and if the offside player touches the ball the IDFK is brought back to where the player was located when the ball was first played through. If the other onside player touches the ball there is no offence.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Mark, you are making this way too complicated. Player A is in an offside position when the ball is touched or played by a teammate. From that moment until offside resets, Player A may not participate in active play. Doesn't matter where he actively participates, the prohibition has already been established when the teammate played or touched the ball. That's why the restart is always where the offside positioned player was located when the ball was touched or played by a teammate.