Law 11

"Our Goal is Fair Play"

Offside

Offside Position

It is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position.

A player is in an offside position if:

he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent

A player is not in an offside position if:

he is in his own half of the field of play
or
he is level with the second last opponent
or
he is level with the last two opponents

Offence

A player in an offside position is only penalised if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by:

interfering with play
or
interfering with an opponent
or
gaining an advantage by being in that position

No Offence

There is no offside offence if a player receives the ball directly from:

a goal kick
or
a throw-in
or
a corner kick

Infringements/Sanctions

For any offside offence, the referee awards an indirect free kick to the opposing team to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred. * (see page 3)

Advice: The restart of the game shall be with an indirect free kick taken from the initial place where the player was adjudged to be in an offside position.

Decisions of the International F.A. Board

Decision 1

In the definition of offside position, "nearer to his opponents' goal line" means that any part of his head, body or feet is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent. The arms are not included in this definition.

Decision 2

The definitions of elements of involvement in active play are as follows:

    *    Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate.

    *    Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.

    *    Gaining an advantage by being in that position means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a post or the crossbar having been in an offside position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position.

Advice:

A player in an offside position may be penalised before playing or touching the ball if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an offside position has the opportunity to play the ball.

If an opponent becomes involved in the play and if, in the opinion of the referee, there is potential for physical contact, the player in the offside position shall be penalised for interfering with an opponent.