Question Number: 28622

Law 11 - Offside 7/27/2014

RE: Competitive Adult

Alan Parks of Brownsburg, IN USA asks...

Player A is in an offside position while Player B possesses the ball but has NOT played it to Player A. Player A now gets back onside as Player B has retained possession the entire time. Now Player B plays Player A who is in an onside position.

I say Player A is onside. I had a friend say that Player A is still offside because Player B retained the ball while Player A went from offside to onside.

He referred to the Assistant Referee making the over and back gesture as that call. I say that gesture is Player A was in offside position when the ball was played but received it in an onside position. Thanks.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Alan,
Thanks for using the site!
Your description of the event seems to indicate, no offside! Still if the officials called the incident as offside, then your description does not fit the decision. It can be difficult to paint the offside picture with words and get it as a black and white yes or no solution without the visual.

Player A will or SHOULD only be JUDGED on offside parameters when Player B makes his LAST and final touch of the ball. It does not matter that while player B was playing/touching the ball that player A was in an offside position! It is NOT illegal to be in an offside position nor is it held against you once your restriction has been lifted.

If your player B, WITH the ball, is actively dribbling, EACH and every touch of the ball by player B is NEW with regards to offside criteria. Each touch of the ball from player B resets the offside evaluation for his teammate Player A!

If player A is in an offside position at that critical moment when the final touch by player B sends the ball on its way over to player A, player A will be restricted from ANY involvement!
Even if player A runs back into his own half of the field to accept the ball in front of all 11 opponents who are now between him and their own goal.

I rather hope from your description the officials could be thinking along the lines of this was so ? Sometimes the Referee/AR just plain get it wrong, they can get the timing sequence screwed up and render an unjust verdict, but it happens and you live with it.

However, your friend is 100% incorrect, player B retaining ball possession while Player A vacillates between offside to onside positions has nothing to do with being guilty of an offside infraction. The critical moment is freeze frame the picture at the LAST touch of the ball then base a decision from that moment until a new one occurs.

A key point to consider, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING an offside restricted player can do by himself to lift the offside restriction banning him from playing the ball!

For Player A to have no offside restrictions one of these 3 things must occur:
(1) New team mate's touch of the ball after he has assumed an onside position
(2) An opponent has deliberately played the ball
(3) The ball goes out of play

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Alan
As described there is no offside here. When Player A received the ball he was in an onside position. It makes no difference that A was in an offside position previously as he did not interfere with play or with an opponent at that time. When Player B took possession of the ball he began a new phase of play.
Now if Player A who was in offside position came to play the ball in an onside position that would be called and the IDFK would be taken from the offside position he was in when the ball was played. That though is not what you describe.