When it comes to the beautiful game of football, many questions arise as to the rules and regulations of the game. One particular question that often comes up is ” can you be offside on a corner kick? ”
Corner kicks are one of the most exciting parts of a football game. When a team wins a corner, all of the players will rush to the penalty area, eager to convert the corner kick into a goal.
But can a player be offside on a corner kick? Well, the rules of offside on a corner kick depend on the respective situation, however, in this post, I will answer your question and you will learn lots more.
But before I can share my thought on your question you need to understand;
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What Does Corner Kick Mean In Soccer?
When the entire ball crosses the goal line, whether on the ground or in the air, having last touched a defender and no goals are scored, then a corner kick will be awarded.
Also, during a football game, when the ball crosses the goal line while still in play without a goal being scored, and after it was last touched by any player of the defending team, play is restarted with a corner kick.
And the corner of the playing field closest to the spot where the ball crossed the goal line is where the kick will be taken.
While not as good as a penalty kick or a straight free kick close to the penalty area, corners are nevertheless seen as a reasonable chance for the attacking team to score.
However, a goal scored from the corner without the interference of any player will be considered to be an Olympic goal. According to The FA, here are some procedures for a corner kick in soccer;
- The ball must be placed in the corner area nearest to the point where the ball passed over the goal line.
- The ball must be stationary and is kicked by a player of the attacking team.
- The ball is in play when it is kicked; it does not need to leave the corner area.
- The corner flag post must not be moved.
- Opponents must remain at least 9.15 m (10 yards) from the corner arc until the ball is in play.
Now that you have an idea of what a corner kick is like in a football game, the next session will tell you more about a corner kick.
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Is A Corner Kick In Soccer Direct Or Indirect?
In football, a corner kick can be direct or indirect, it’s only about how the team that won a corner kick in a game intends to play the corner.
Winning a corner kick is equal to a goal-scoring opportunity, and any team in this situation would love to convert this chance into a goal.
A direct corner kick comes straight from the corner without touching multiple players while indirect corner kicks go through two or more players. So, it could be direct or indirect, whichever is aimed at a goal.
However, the only disadvantage of playing a corner indirectly is that it could result in an offside, but if the ball comes directly from the corner kick, then no offside offense Is going to be committed.
In a situation where the defenders that are supposed to defend a corner kick are tactically brilliant, they could easily set an offside trap when a corner is taken indirectly.
Can You Be Offside On A Corner Kick?
According to the offside rule, a player can not be in an offside position if he or she receives the ball directly from a corner kick. All of the attacking players must be in line with or behind the ball when a corner is first taken, or when the ball is returned to play.
The corner taker is, however, deemed to be in an offside position should the ball be played back to him if he plays the ball to one of his teammates while remaining on the opposing goal line and the defending team all step up, that is, advance so that there are no longer two players between the corner taker and the goal line.
Even if the ball does not return to him, he would still be in an offside position; yet, if it is, he would likely not be considered to be interfering with play.
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Therefore, even if you manage to get closer to the goal line than the ball or any member of the defense team, you can receive a ball passed quickly from a corner without breaking the Law states that for the offside offense, you should be deemed to be over the line if you are outside the field after the goal line.
However, it’s not an offside offense in as much as the ball comes directly from the corner.
Can You Substitute On A Corner Kick In Soccer?
In this session, and before I discuss the answer to the question, I would love to share what substitutes mean in football. The term “substitute” was first used in football to refer to the substitution of players who did not show up for games.
Although the Laws of the Game were initially amended to allow substitution during games in 1958, there are documented instances of substitution being allowed earlier.
The first time a substitute was used in an international football game was on April 15, 1889, during the Wales v Scotland game in Wrexham.
Jim Trainer, the goalkeeper for Wales was late, therefore Alf Pugh, a local amateur player, started the game and played for about 20 minutes before Sam Gillam took over.
Zvi Fuchs, a Mandatory Palestine center-defender, was injured during a match between Lebanon and Mandatory Palestine in 1940, and Lonia Dvorin took his place at halftime.
However, a player who comes in place of another player during a match of association football is known as a substitute.
Most often, substitutions are performed to replace a player who is no longer effective due to fatigue, injury, or bad performance, or if a coach wants to change the approach to the game by replacing a defender with a striker or by replacing a striker with a defender.
In games played under the standard International Football Association Board Laws of the Game, a player who has been substituted during a match does not continue to play in the game.
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But Can You Substitute On A Corner Kick In Soccer?
No, you can not substitute on a corner kick, and according to the law of substitution, you can only substitute when there is a stop during the gameplay, and the player can be substituted with the referee’s approval.
However, before the substitute can enter the field of play, the player who is supposed to be substituted must have exited at that time, then the substitute can enter the field of play and the substituted player will no longer participate in the game.
Additionally, substitutions may be made at halftime throughout extra time and between full-time and the beginning of extra time.
Failure to go by the rules and regulations during player substitution may result in a yellow card.
Key Takeaway
In football, you can’t be offside on a corner kick as much as you receive the ball directly from the corner.
But in a situation where you receive the ball indirectly from the corner, that is when the ball has to go through two or more players then it could be guilty of an offside offense. And it will take a brilliant tactical defense to set an offside trap in an indirect corner kick.
Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.