What Is Offside In Soccer?

There are some concepts that were righty introduced into the round leather game of soccer and one can’t help but wonder how the game would have turned out if they weren’t put into place. One of them is the concept of offside in soccer. It is a fact that the existence of the concept in soccer has added to increased value and order of the game on the pitch.

Offside is one of the terms associated with football. It is a rule in football that guides a team from getting illegal goals. According to the FA and law 11 of the laws of the game, Offside is called upon when a player is nearer to his opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.

However, the above definition of offside in soccer does not attract a player to be penalized due to offside but if he is in the offside position, and his teammate forwards the ball to him, the player is likely to be flagged off by the linesman or the referee.

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Also, if the linesman or the referee has not seen the offside, the opposition is very free to protest against the offside, especially if the incident was caught by VAR, Video Assistant Refereeing.

The offside rule ensures that players time their runs behind the last defender and stay in line with them before the ball is released toward them. If the player is ahead of the opposition’s last defender before the ball is released, he will be flagged for offside and every effort that has been put in place will be wasted.

Law 11: Official Offside Rules

According to law 11 rule of the law of games, it is not an offense to be in an offside position

  • If any part of his body such as head, leg, or body is in the opponent’s half and
  • Any part of his body such as head, leg, or body is nearer to the opposition’s goal line than both the second-last opponent and the ball
  • Furthermore, The hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered. For the purposes of determining offside, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit.

Also, it is not considered an offside if the player receives the ball directly from a goal kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

Exception Cases Of The Offside Rule

One of the exception cases of the offside rule is that the goalkeeper is not seen as the last man nor the hand and arm of the player are involved in ruling the player out of fair play.

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If a player gets the ball directly from a goal kick, corner kick, or throw-in, there is no offside awarded to the opponent.

Why Is Offside Illegal?

Offside is illegal in football because individuals will always be waiting at the opponent’s half to get the ball passed to them, and of course, such will be considered a cheat. The importance of order in the game has to be maintained and the offside rule is one of the concepts that enhances order in soccer.

Will A Player Be Awarded A Penalty If He Was Fouled In A Box Though He Was Offside?

No, a penalty can not be awarded to a team if a player was offside before he was fouled in the opponent’s box. Although the offside might not be recognized immediately, when the player is being fouled, the linesman is likely to flag against offside.

Is The Goalkeeper Considered The Last Man In The Offside Rule?

No, the goalkeeper is not considered the last man in the offside rule.

However, according to the law 11 rule of the law of games, the goalkeeper is not always seen as the last man, unless he has his teammate(s) behind him.

Does Deflection Count During Offside?

If there is a deflection of a ball through the opposition, it is not considered to be offside, hence, if a goal occurs after deflection, it stands.

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Does Back Pass Count During Offside?

No, according to the rule of law 11 of the law of games, if a player mistakenly passes the ball to his opposition behind him, it is not considered an offside.

Which Player Has The Most Offside In The History Of Football?

In the history since the offside decisions were accepted by all, no player has even been flagged than Togo International, Emmanuel Adebayor. He has an offside record of 328 times during his stay at Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Manchester City, and Tottenham.

What Is Offside Trap?

We’ve seen cases where the last defenders in the team adopt a technique of movement that ensures that the opposition attacker is caught behind them just before the ball is released in his direction.

If the opposition attacker and his teammates do not have the awareness to spot this technique and hamper it, there will be an increase in offside counts. Therefore, the offside trap can be described as a defensive technique where defenders move up the pitch in unison leaving the attacker behind just before the ball is released in their direction.

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Final Words

The offside rule is very important in soccer and this has been established over the decades. It is undoubtedly one rule that is significant to the success of the game and should remain as long as the game exists to enhance value, standard, and order.