Question Number: 27010

Law 11 - Offside 11/13/2012

RE: competitive Adult

nick plant of stoke on trent, england asks...

This question is a follow up to question 24617

chelsea v man utd november 7th 0r 6th 2012
93rd plus minute cup match
a man utd forward (hernandez) is standing in an offside position just inside the opposition half as the ball is cleared by man utd defenders
As the ball is in the air hernandez comes back into his own half (10 yards) to collect the loose ball, he controls it and runs with the ball into the opposition half.
The linesman flags for offside
How can he be offside in his own half, the ball never passed the half way line
Was this the correct decision that is offside taken from the opposition area

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Nick
Good decision by the assistant referee.
The Law states as you rightly point out that a player cannot be offside in his own half of the field. Hernandez though was in an offside position in the Chelsea half when the ball was played. It made no difference where he touched the ball. It just so happened that it was in his own half when he met the final offside condition of touching the ball.
The indirect free kick was taken from his original offside position, the location of the offence, not where he touched the ball. Rare offside scenario but it does happen.
Had Hernandez been in his own half when the ball was played by his team mate then there would not have been any offside.
Also direction and distance of the pass makes no difference to offside. The ball can be played backwards even in the team's own half and if a player is ahead of the ball and the 2nd last opponent in an offside position when it was played he is offside if he interferes with play even going back into an onside position to do that. An unusual offside but it does happen from time to time.
Finally there are only three ways that a player in an offside position can become onside again
1. The ball goes out of play
2. The opponents gain control and possession of the ball.
3. A team mate in an onside position touches the ball and begins a new phase of play.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

He wasn't offside in his own half. He was offside in the other half of the field when the ball was last kicked by a teammate. Moving to an onside position doesn't relieve him of his 'offsidedness'. That can only be done when there is another touch of the ball by a teammate, after the defenders clearly control the ball, or after the ball has gone out of play.

As Ref McHugh noted, the restart was taken from his position when his offside condition was established - on the other half of the field.