After watching the England vs Andorra game on June 10th and seeing an England goal called back for offside, I realized it’s still a rule that baffles many supporters. In fact, the offside rule in football has to be one of the most misunderstood rules in all of sport.

An offside call can lead to endless arguments between fans, coaches, referees, players, and even team mates. People all over the world often have difficulty coming to grasps with this law of the game. If the wording of the rule doesn’t confuse fans, the interpretation of it often does. In fact, this rule has undergone several changes during the history of the game to make it easier to understand and to try and promote attacking football.

Perhaps the best way to understand the offside rule is to first understand what isn’t offside. You can never be offside during a soccer game when:

• You’re not actively involved in the play
• You’re positioned in your own half of the field
• You’re carrying the ball yourself
• You’re shooting the ball
• You have been passed the ball from a goal kick, throw in, or corner kick
• You’re evenly positioned (parallel) to the second last or last two opponents
• You’re positioned even with or behind any teammate who passes you the ball

Now, let’s to try to understand the offside rule if we can. The laws of the game state that a player is in an offside position if they’re closer to the opposition’s goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent when the ball is passed to them. The key to this rule is when the ball is passed. It doesn’t matter where the player is positioned when receiving the ball, as long as they were onside when the ball was originally played. To put it into other words, if there is at least one opposing player (goalie) between you and the goal line, you’re considered to be onside as long as you’re even with the second last player.

For example, if you’re even with or in front of the last defender and there is a goalkeeper in net, you’re onside as the goalkeeper is the last opponent and the defender is the second last opponent. If you’re the only player between the ball and the opposing goalie when the ball is passed, you’re offside. Once you get behind the second last defender, you’re offside, so it’s important to stay level with him/her.

This rule gets somewhat complicated when the “active” player interpretation is brought into it. A player can be in an offside position but not be offside as long as they’re considered inactive. This rule was introduced by FIFA a few years ago as a way of promoting more offensive games and more goals. A player can now be in an offside position and not get called for it as long as they don’t interfere with the play, which means touching the ball. It may sound simple, but a player can also interfere with play by preventing an opponent from playing the ball, and by blocking the goalkeeper’s view.

If an official decides a player is interfering with play, the player will be called offside. If a player isn’t considered to be interfering in any way, they may be in an offside position without being called for it. In a case where an inactive player is in an offside position, they will be called active and offside as soon as they touch the ball as they have gained an advantageous position on the field unfairly.

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