Jim Allen
National Instructor Trainer

QUESTION:

Where should the restart be taken after the referee calls offside?

Answer:

WHERE?

Assistant referees are instructed to determine immediately whether a player is in an offside position when his teammate plays the ball, but to wait to flag for the infringement until the player in the outside position is involved in active play. Players become involved in active play by interfering with play, interfering with an opponent, or through gaining an advantage by being in the outside position. The referee should base his decision on the actions of the player(s) and should not make the final outside decision until absolutely certain of the player's involvement. The restart must be taken from the place where the player was when the ball was last played by his teammate. The location of the restart was addressed by the International Football Association Board some years ago and the answer was published by FIFA in the Questions and Answers on the Laws of the Game. The answer given was that the referee shall give the indirect free kick from the place where the player was when the ball was last played by his teammate.

In both diagrams, player A is in an outside position when his teammate, B, plays the ball. In Diagram 1, the ball is passed by B directly to A, who thus gains an advantage by being in the offside position. The assistant referee flags for outside and the referee awards the indirect free kick to D's team at the place where A was when the ball was played by B. In Diagram 2, the ball is played by B into space behind D. A runs to the ball and gains an advantage by being in the offside position. The assistant referee flags for offside and the referee awards the indirect free kick to D's team - once again at the place where A was when the ball was last played by his teammate, not at the place where A was when he gained possession of the ball.

WHY?

The referee must look first for the place where the player was when his teammate played the ball. That is the original offside position, the place where the involvement started and the point where the assistant referee made the decision that the player was in an offside position. It is also where the restart must be taken.