Rules of Soccer: Offside Rule in Soccer

Soccer is a worldwide recognized sport. The game is full of enthusiasm and zeal. It is full of rules too! Once you digest all the rules, then playing or watching this magnificent game becomes a piece of cake. Basic soccer rules are simple enough but sometimes, you do tend to feel - Oh, he was so close! What was the whistle for? The simple answer is - the player was stopped because he was offside!

What is an offside then? I used to have this question on my mind often, until I understood the offside rule. The rule is so confusing that during underage matches, this rule is strictly avoided! Instead of trying to avoid the explanations for this rule, isn't it better if we try to make it simpler, in the first place? Let's try to know this confusing rule of soccer.

Definition of offside as explained in the official 'FIFA book of soccer rules', is this - the player is in an offside position because he is nearer to his opponent's goal line, than both the ball and the second last opponent. Offside rule is the law in soccer that limits the exploring span of the forward attacking player, when he is involved in the play. The player cannot grab the ball, when there are less than two opponents present between him and the goalpost. Soccer offside application takes place in three ways, namely the offside position, the offside offense and the offside sanction.

Let me explain the basic signs to highlight the offside -

• The attacking player must have at least one defender and the goalkeeper between him and the goalpost.
• The offside position is determined when the ball is actually kicked and not on the position of the player, when he receives the ball.
• The attacking player must be in front of the ball to be considered offside. If the case is of a vise versa, then he cannot be ruled as offside.
• The attacking player must be over the half line mark and the half line rule is not allowed on the throw-in balls.

A player is not offside in case of the following cases:

• If the player is in his own half of the ground then he cannot be declared offside.
• If the player doesn't get past the second last opponent, usually the goalie (when goalie is outside the goalpost) then he is safe.
• If a player receives the ball directly from the throw-in, corner kick or goal kick he cannot be considered offside.

The offside rule makes the game of soccer a bit complex because the player can be in the 'offside position' without actually being 'offside'.

The two important things to know, to be considered offside, are -

• The player must be involved in the play, by either interfering with the game or the opponent, or when he is taking advantage of being in the offside position. This is also known as an 'offside offense'.
• The player must be in the offside position when the ball is actually played by his fellow team member. He must be in the defender's half, closer to the defender's goal line than both the ball and the second last defending opponent.

Offside Trap
This is a specifically used tactic by the defending team to stop the opponent's attack. A well planned trap is set, to trap the opponent in the offside position. When the opponent starts his run-up in the hope to get the ball from his fellow teammate, all the defending players except the goalie move up intentionally, in a comparatively straight line. This brings the attacking player in the offside position, whether he intended to or not. If the defenders fail to capitalize on the chance, then there won't be anyone except the goalkeeper, between the opponent and the goal post. This can prove disastrous to the defending team itself as even a child can score a goal in such a case.

The offside rule had major changes done to it, in the year 2003. The changes are more rigorous, but they still favor the defending team. The defending team has relatively less chances of being blamed for an 'offside offense'. This rule turned the offside trap into a more potent game plan.

Offside Sanction
The sanction or the penalty for an offside offense is an indirect free kick. This free kick is taken from where the offense actually took place. It is important to remember, that the offside rule is not allowed over the 'free kicks'. The offside offense is really hard to identify, for even the best linesmen. Hence, there is no chance fighting with the referee, if he calls you in for an offside offense.

The seemingly difficult 'offside rule', is actually easy to understand like all the other rules of soccer. The rule is made to prevent teams from keeping a player in an offensive position and gain an unfair advantage through it. I hope you have now understood the basics of the offside rule of soccer, just like I did.