LAW 11 - OFFSIDE EXPLAINED
Offside Position
Offence
No
Offence
Infringements/Sanctions
Decisions of the International F.A. Board
IFAB
clarifies Off-Side Rule
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 penalized 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.
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.
IFAB
clarifies the on-field application of “Law 11-Offside”
A
working group meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB),
chaired by FIFA Vice-President and chairman of the Referees’ Committee Angel
Maria Villar Llona, took place in Zurich on 11 August 2005 to provide
clarification on the onfield application of Law 11, Decisions 1 and 2, of the
Laws of the Game
(http://www.fifa.com/en/regulations/regulation/0,1584,3,00.html) .
The wording of Law 11 and Decisions 1 and 2 taken by the IFAB during its meeting
in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, on 26 February 2005 were not changed, nor was
their spirit. However, the first on-field experiences of the application of
these decisions indicated a need for clarification. For that purpose, the
working group met and agreed on the following text as “advice on the application
of Law 11, IFAB Decision 2”:
“A player in an offside position may be penalized before playing or touching the
ball if, in the opinion of the referee, no other team-mate in an onside 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 penalized for interfering with an opponent.”
In addition, the IFAB also agreed on the following clarification with regard to
the position where the game restarts following an offside offence (Law 11 –
Infringements/Sanctions):
“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.”
FIFA’s member associations were informed of the IFAB advice by circular on 17
August
2005 and are subsequently responsible for communicating these instructions to
the referees and assistant referees within their associations. FIFA also
reminded its associations of Art. 6 paragraph 1 of the FIFA Statutes, which
clearly states: “Each member of FIFA shall play Association Football in
compliance with the Laws of the Game issued by IFAB. Only IFAB may lay down and
alter the Laws of the Game”.
The circular closed by noting that the decisions of the IFAB and the Statutes of
FIFA must be respected in their entirety.
Last updated on November 8, 2005. |
