Can you be offside in your own half

[GrantFrosty]

I have always had the idea that there is NEVER offside in your own half no matter what but I was given this and told that it was offside.

A4 is in an offside position on the opponent's half of the field. A5 passes the ball to A4 who returns to A4's own half of the field and receives the ball.

This shouldn't matter when the ball was played because A4 receives the ball in his own half meaning there can't be offside.

 

[Faris]

A4 was offside when the ball was played. Offside is when the ball is played, not received. That is my understanding of the law. But the offside free kick is taken from the spot the player is deemed to have played or attempted to play the ball. This means the idfk is awarded in the attacking players half.

 

[RustyRef]

Offside is judged at the time the ball is played. If you are in your own half at that time you cannot be offside.

If between the ball being played and the player receiving the ball having moved from an offside position in the opponent's half to their own half they are still offside. Until recently the IDFK would be taken on the half way line, but it is now taken where they received the ball, and that has sent a lot of fans into meltdown when it is in their own half.

 

[socal lurker]

I'd add that this has always been true (well, perhaps always is too strong, I've only been refifng since the 70s...). What has created the angst is exactly what @RustyRef says--there was a Law change a handful of years ago moving where the FK is taken. But I would nit pick slightly--for a very long time the FK was from where the offending player was at the time the all was played, which meant the FK was always in the attacking half. That changed to the kick being where the player became involved in active play (generally, but not always, meaning touches the ball), which makes it possible for the FK to be taken in the defending half. (I saw one strange play involving a shanked punt, which was not called, where the FK would have been in the attacking third.)

 

[DJIC]

IMO for match control, give the free kick just inside the defensive half of the field. Avoid the incorrect ridicule from players & spectators, you have nothing to gain from correctly applying the new law/guidance of where the offside free kick is taken.

 

[socal lurker]

IMO for match control, give the free kick just inside the defensive half of the field. Avoid the incorrect ridicule from players & spectators, you have nothing to gain from correctly applying the new law/guidance of where the offside free kick is taken.

Um, thanks, but no thanks. I’m really not interested in reinforcing myths to the detriment of the ref next week who does it correctly.

 

[Russell Jones]

The easiest way to think about this is not to think about "Offside" at all. Only ever think about "Offside Position" (determined when the ball is played or touched by another attacking player) and "Offside Offence" which may or may not be committed by a player who was in an Offside Position. This potential offence could theoretically occur anywhere on the FOP and it's from the location of the offence that the indirect free kick should then be taken

 

[RustyRef]

IMO for match control, give the free kick just inside the defensive half of the field. Avoid the incorrect ridicule from players & spectators, you have nothing to gain from correctly applying the new law/guidance of where the offside free kick is taken.

Apart from in doing that you would be completely incorrect in law.

 

[JamesL]

Can you be in an offside position in your own half = No.
Can you commit an offside offence in your own half = Yes.

Vast majority of free kicks are taken from where the offence occurs. The offence doesnt happen until the player has played, interfered or gained an advantage. So, a player from an offside position when ball last played by a team mate, moving into his own half and then challenging an opponent or touching the ball as two examples, the free kick is taken from where he challenged or played the ball

 

[NOVARef]

I believe my question goes along with this discussion so I didn't create a new thread....Player A is in an offside position when his teammate plays the ball forward to him. He comes back to receive the ball and receives it onside. This is an offside offense as previously discussed and the offense can occur in your half. Understood. What if Player A comes back to receive the ball and does not get to the ball first but challenges the defender immediately once the defender receives the ball. I understand this to be offside as well. What if the challenge isn't immediate though. What if, let's say, the defender receives the ball and takes a touch forward. What is the criteria for offside here? Is that, once, the defender takes any controlled touch, offside is reset? Thanks.

 

[Russell Jones]

I believe my question goes along with this discussion so I didn't create a new thread....Player A is in an offside position when his teammate plays the ball forward to him. He comes back to receive the ball and receives it onside. This is an offside offense as previously discussed and the offense can occur in your half. Understood. What if Player A comes back to receive the ball and does not get to the ball first but challenges the defender immediately once the defender receives the ball. I understand this to be offside as well. What if the challenge isn't immediate though. What if, let's say, the defender receives the ball and takes a touch forward. What is the criteria for offside here? Is that, once, the defender takes any controlled touch, offside is reset? Thanks.

For the purpose of your supplementary questions, it makes no difference whether the player has 'come back'. All we are judging is whether the player who was in an offside position when the ball was last played, subsequently interferes with play by challenging for the ball. This judgement is overall more of an art than a science but if it helps, we see far more attackers being incorrectly flagged (for getting 'close' to an opponent but not actually challenging) than we see attackers being incorrectly non flagged. As for the point at which the situation is reset because of the deliberate play by the defender, the key point here is whether you believe the attacker has immediately challenged the defender. If two or three seconds have elapsed then the defender has probably had enough time to safely clear / pass the ball and if s(he) hasn't chosen to do that then the attacker is free to challenge. Easier to explain using helpful clips though ....

 

[JamesL]

I believe my question goes along with this discussion so I didn't create a new thread....Player A is in an offside position when his teammate plays the ball forward to him. He comes back to receive the ball and receives it onside. This is an offside offense as previously discussed and the offense can occur in your half. Understood. What if Player A comes back to receive the ball and does not get to the ball first but challenges the defender immediately once the defender receives the ball. I understand this to be offside as well. What if the challenge isn't immediate though. What if, let's say, the defender receives the ball and takes a touch forward. What is the criteria for offside here? Is that, once, the defender takes any controlled touch, offside is reset? Thanks.

I think I pretty much answered the question above but I will address your questions specifically.

If he immediately challenges the defender then that's an offside offence. And the free kick is taken from where they immediately challenged their opponent

If it's not immediately challenging then no offside offence occurs. If the defender takes a controlled touch then this is likely to come under a deliberate play so we only need to look at the time between that and the challenging to determine if an offence occurs.

 

[ChasObserverRefDeveloper]

I believe my question goes along with this discussion so I didn't create a new thread....Player A is in an offside position when his teammate plays the ball forward to him. He comes back to receive the ball and receives it onside. This is an offside offense as previously discussed and the offense can occur in your half. Understood. What if Player A comes back to receive the ball and does not get to the ball first but challenges the defender immediately once the defender receives the ball. I understand this to be offside as well. What if the challenge isn't immediate though. What if, let's say, the defender receives the ball and takes a touch forward. What is the criteria for offside here? Is that, once, the defender takes any controlled touch, offside is reset? Thanks.

It’s a question of comparative immediacy. If the challenge is on arrival alongside the opponent, free kick.
If the opponent has had time to control, does so, and begins another phase before any challenge or attempted challenge, one could accept treating that as a new phase, with no free kick.
A rare occurrence which is in the opinion of the match referee in each case.