Law 11 - 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.
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Law 11 – Offside
Decisions of the International F.A. Board
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.