Question Number: 28106

Law 11 - Offside 1/12/2014

RE: Pro Adult

Eugene of London, UK asks...

If the keeper comes forward beyond the 18yd mark, can an offensive player be between the last defender and the keeper when a pass is hit to him, or is it still offside?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Eugene
To remain in an onside position an attacking player has to have two opponent between himself and the goal line at the moment the ball is touched / played by a teammate. One of those opponents is generally the goalkeeper because of his normal regular position. However the goalkeeper is treated like any other defender and there can be times when the goalkeeper is not counted in the offside calculation such as when he is beyond his team mates.
So to answer your question the attacking player would still be in an offside position if he has only one defender between himself and the goal line.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Eugene,

The keeper is not mentioned anywhere in the offside law - all that matters is the number of players. And for that, a player is in an offside position if he is past both the 2nd last line of defence and the ball.

The 2nd last line of defence is usually the sweeper as the keeper is the last line of defence, but it's quite normal for a keeper to come out (even inside the penalty area) to make a challenge, and the sweeper runs to the goals to cover him. In that case, the keeper is the 2nd last line of defence.

Of course, in a crowded area there may be 3 or 4 defenders between the keeper and the goal line!

So for offside, the position of the keeper is completely irrelevant, all that matters is the numbers.