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How to restart play after offside?

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newref

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I understand that when there is an offside offence we blow the whistle and raise our arm straight up. Also we keep our arm up until the kick is take. My question is - do we need to restart play with the whistle?
 
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No. And you can put your arm down as soon as it is obvious the ball is not heading into the goal.


(Where the kick should be taken from though is harder!
The laws saw the kick should be taken from the position where the player becomes active. But a) no player or coach in the universe seems to be able to understand this b) the reality is that a lot of offsides are flagged before the attacker becomes active (because e.g. the attacker is approaching the GK, or the attacker is running into a corner and is the only player able to play the ball)... and in these cases there is no place where the attacker has become active. It's a massive gaping reality hole between the laws and what happens on the field. UK ARs (to my understanding) are taught to hold the offside flag signal for a long time to make it obvious where they flagged and supposedly mark where the kick should be taken from - but I'll wager that a tiny percentage of flags are actually in line with the place the attacker becomes active - based on the elemental mechanics of assisting - rant, sorry!)
 
Also we keep our arm up until the kick is take.
Actually this is not correct. You keep your arm up untill the ball touches another player or out of play after the kick is taken. Also as @santa sangria says you can drop the arm if it's clear the ball is not going directly into goal. Note this is not just for offside but for every indirect free kick.

@newref kudos to you for coming here and asking lotg questions. This forum is a fantastic learning tool for all of us. So keep doing that. However you can only ask question about the things you know you don't know ;). May I humbly suggest, given you are a new ref, to also spare half hour every week to read the book. You'd be surprised the number of times you find things in there you had no idea about.
 
Actually this is not correct. You keep your arm up untill the ball touches another player or out of play after the kick is taken. Also as @santa sangria says you can drop the arm if it's clear the ball is not going directly into goal. Note this is not just for offside but for every indirect free kick.

@newref kudos to you for coming here and asking lotg questions. This forum is a fantastic learning tool for all of us. So keep doing that. However you can only ask question about the things you know you don't know ;). May I humbly suggest, given you are a new ref, to also spare half hour every week to read the book. You'd be surprised the number of times you find things in there you had no idea about.
Amazing what that does for any sport tbh.

I know it's not football, but a guy I went to uni with was in the NRL (rugby league) referee academy, and I would spend a bit of time with him studying and reading and what-not. I remember being shocked at coming to the conclusion that if on a really windy day, a team kicks off into the wind, and the ball travels over 10m in the air, and then comes straight back to the kicking team, it's play on haha
 
You don’t blow the whistle and raise your arm straight up, you’d only raise your arm when you’re ready for the kick to be taken and you’re in position. Otherwise you’d then be moving around with your arm in the air before being ready for the kick to be taken, which looks stupid
 
You don’t blow the whistle and raise your arm straight up, you’d only raise your arm when you’re ready for the kick to be taken and you’re in position. Otherwise you’d then be moving around with your arm in the air before being ready for the kick to be taken, which looks stupid
I tend to blow.. Hold my arm up to indicate offside and an indirect free kick.
I then lower it to move into position. And then before the kick is taken raise my arm to indicate an indirect free kick
 
Thanks. That ctually makes perfect sense too. So what about the whistle to restart play after the IDFK does the player have to wait for the whistle before taking the IDFK? Or can they take a quick one without the whistle?
 
Whistle
The whistle is needed to:
• start play (first and second half of normal play and extra time), after a goal
• stop play:
• for a free kick or penalty kick
• if the match is suspended or abandoned
• at the end of each half
• restart play for:
• free kicks when the appropriate distance is required
• penalty kicks
• restart play after it has been stopped for a:
• caution or sending-off
injury
• substitution
The whistle is NOT needed to:
• stop play for a clear:
• goal kick, corner kick, throw-in or goal
• restart play from:
• most free kicks, and a goal kick, corner kick, throw-in or dropped ball
A whistle which is used too frequently/unnecessarily will have less impact
when it is needed.
 
Thanks, so based on this no whistle is required for IDFK I.e to restart play after an offside and everyone is retreating. However, I'm pretty sure I've seen other referees blow the whistle just before an IDFK is being taken. Why do they do that?
 
You will see a whistle before a FK where there has been a delay (injury or card) or where the R has inserted himself (could be to warn a player, but most commonly to set the wall). You could also see an R whistling to tell th team to get on with it if they are taking too long—a warning before a caution for delaying the restart.
 
Thanks, so based on this no whistle is required for IDFK I.e to restart play after an offside and everyone is retreating.

That's a bit of an over-simplification. The wording of the law is quite precise - there's no need for a whistle on most free kicks. Which means that it almost certainly is needed for some others.
However, I'm pretty sure I've seen other referees blow the whistle just before an IDFK is being taken. Why do they do that?
Again, the wording explains why you will see "other referees blow the whistle just before an IDFK is being taken." The law basically says that a whistle sometimes is required before a free kick and it even gives examples of when that might be the case.

Although of course, there are always some referees who just blow the whistle regardless (hopefully they're in the minority).
 
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That's a bit of an over-simplification. The wording of the law is quite precise - there's no need for a whistle on most free kicks. Which means that it almost certainly is needed for some others.

Again, the wording explains why you will see "other referees blow the whistle just before an IDFK is being taken." The law basically says that a whistle sometimes is required before a free kick and it even gives examples of when that might be the case.

Although of course, there are always some referees who just blow the whistle regardless (hopefully they're in the minority).
some referees like to be the centre of attraction, fortunatly this kind dont tend to last long
 
Not necessarily related to the offside mentioned but I've always found it strange that referees restart offside IFKs from the position of the AR - in line with the second to last defender. Surely, if the player received the ball at the edge of the 18 then that is where the offence occurred while the AR could be on the halfway line (if a very, very high line.) So the offence was not on halfway at all?
 
Not necessarily related to the offside mentioned but I've always found it strange that referees restart offside IFKs from the position of the AR - in line with the second to last defender. Surely, if the player received the ball at the edge of the 18 then that is where the offence occurred while the AR could be on the halfway line (if a very, very high line.) So the offence was not on halfway at all?
The AR, if ARing correctly should be in line with the second last defender OR the ball if it is closer to the goal line. So in your example the AR should be in line with the edge of the 18 or very close to it.
 
The AR, if ARing correctly should be in line with the second last defender OR the ball if it is closer to the goal line. So in your example the AR should be in line with the edge of the 18 or very close to it.

Okay - its a very niche discussion and I'd hope common sense would prevail rather than semantics but what if the ball is played to a striker who's five yards deeper than the defence and the AR simply doesn't have time to get there? Does the AR simply keep their eye on the position? Always seems strange that its where the defence is rather than the offence.
 
This has been discussed many times in the past. It occurs even more after the law changed a few years ago to change the location of the restart to where the offence took place rather that position of the attacker when the ball was kicked (I think). The correct thing to do for the AR is to move in line with the correct position before the second signal of the offside (or first if short distance). Unless of course if the location is in the other half of the field in which case communication with the R should sort it out.

However in many cases it is only a matter of a few meters and usually deep in the defending half. It is in the interest of the game not to fuss about it if no material advantage is gained.
 
This has been discussed many times in the past. It occurs even more after the law changed a few years ago to change the location of the restart to where the offence took place rather that position of the attacker when the ball was kicked (I think). The correct thing to do for the AR is to move in line with the correct position before the second signal of the offside (or first if short distance). Unless of course if the location is in the other half of the field in which case communication with the R should sort it out.

However in many cases it is only a matter of a few meters and usually deep in the defending half. It is in the interest of the game not to fuss about it if no material advantage is gained.

Yes, I know its the sort of semantic argument that many hate but in my defence football in South Wales isn't keeping me busy at the moment.
 
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