Question Number: 26991

Law 11 - Offside 11/7/2012

RE: Premier Adult

Ibrahim Ishiaku of Lokoja, Kogi Nigeria asks...

Can an Assistant Referee stand in line with the second last deffender that is on the ground injured?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Ibrahim
For the purposes of offside the position of the 2nd last opponent is always taken no matter whether the player is standing or on the ground. If a player is seriously injured the referee should stop play. If not then play continues.
So the AR should stand in line with the 2nd last opponent. It might seem unfair but to do otherwise would mean that a defender who is poorly positioned could simply lay down on the ground placing opponents in an offside position. That should not be allowed to happen.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

The second last defender, even if lying on the ground injured, will still be considered for the purposes of offside. As such, the AR should remain in line with that player (unless, of course, the 2nd last defender changes) - even if this results in the AR being a long way away from play.

The AR should try to get the attention of the referee at the next stoppage, if the referee is not aware of the injured player - and sometimes the far AR can assist with this.