05.10.04
Offsides Rules
Amy sent this to me to help me out. I still have yet to catch a violation before an official does, which is the hallmark of understanding said rule.
Offside Rule in Football (Soccer)
To be in an offside position, a player must be on the opponent’s half of the field and closer to the opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second-last defender (goalkeeper is considered the last defender). A player is not in an offside position if he is even with the second-to-last defender or on his own half of the field.
The player must be involved in active play by either:
- gaining an advantage by being in an offside position, or
- interfering with play, or
- interfering with an opponent
For example, if a player is in an offside position but not involved in play, he would not be offside. This is a tough call. For example, what if the onball attacker is to the right of the goal but a teammate is in an offside position to the left of the goal? You can argue that the teammate wasn’t involved in play, but you can also argue that he distracted the goalie because the goalie had to worry about the possibility of a pass and thus the attacking team gained an advantage by being in an offside position, in which case the teammate was offside. In this case, the referee’s decision might depend on whether he felt the goalkeeper was influenced by the player in the offside position.
Special Cases: a player is not offside if he receives the ball directly from a goal kick, throw-in or corner kick, even if he is in an offside position; however, once the ball is touched, the offside rule starts and if it is then played to a player in an offside position, offside may be called. A player is also not offside if he passes the ball backward, even if doing so leaves him in an offside position. However, if he is in an offside position and the ball is played back to him, then he can be called offside.
Offside Trap: When defenders intentionally move forward to try to trap an attacker who doesn’t have the ball in an offside position.