The offside rule: or the most complicated thing in football

Forget about being from Mars or Venus, the biggest difference between men and women is their ability to comprehend the offside rule. Chris Harding finally lets women in on the secret.

First introduced to make football a fairer, more interesting game to watch, the offside rule has had many, many critics - and amendments - over the years. Ask anyone to explain how it works, though, and you will find even the most avid football fan reaching for salt and pepper pots, pint glasses and a screwed-up napkin.

Here goes...The thing about it is that no one can really explain the rule properly on paper, although some have tried. For one of the best in-depth descriptions visit Soccer Coach-L

The following is an explanation by the South Belt Youth Soccer Club :

A player is in an offside position if he is nearer to his opponent's goal line than the ball unless:

  • He is in his own half of the field.
  • He is not nearer to the opponent's goal line than at least two of his opponents.

    A player will only be declared offside if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his own team, in the opinion of the referee that player is:

  • Interfering with the play or with an opponent.
  • Seeking to gain an advantage by being in that position.

    A player will not be declared offside:

  • Merely because of his being in an offside position.
  • If he receives the ball directly from a goal kick, corner kick, or throw-in.

    If a player is declared offside, the referee will award an indirect free kick to be taken by the opposing team from the place where the offside occurred.

    Offside will be judged from the moment the ball is played, NOT when the player receives the ball. A player who is level with the second last opponent or with the last two opponents is NOT in an offside position.

    If that all sounds a bit long-winded, this simplified version from San Marcos Youth Soccer is more like the instructions you get with a flat-pack wardrobe:

    A player is offside if he or she is ahead of the ball, except if the player also...

  • Is in his own half of the field.
  • Has two opponents even with or behind him and the opponent's goal line. The referee's `moment of judgment' is the instant the ball is played, not when the ball is received.
  • Is the first to receive the ball from a throw-in, corner kick or goal kick.
  • Is not involved in active play by interfering with play, interfering with an opponent, or gaining an advantage by being in that position.

    And another thing...

    If you think that is complicated enough, try employing these rules when you have a split second to decide if a player, running at full tilt, is standing in a position with only the goalkeeper to beat when you see/hear that a ball is being kicked forwards - then receiving abuse from players and fans for making a judgment.

    Assistant referees (or linesmen, as they used to be known) have to deal with this in every game they officiate. These hapless souls are the men (sometimes women, but not very often) running up and down the side of the pitch with a flag in their hands. Most often these poor fellas have problems with their sight and judgment and are very often from questionable parentage (if the fans are to be believed), but no one will say that they have an easy job.

    The offside rule is so complicated and difficult to judge that sports scientists have recently been looking into employing state-of-the-art infrared light beams to detect when a player is deemed to be in an offside position These beams will be shone across the pitch in line with the back row of players and pick up when the beam of light is broken by an attacking player (how the hell will they know?). A more detailed explanation is available on the official English Football Association website.

    Whether this new technology will aid and abet the game is yet to be seen, and the job of the assistant referee is still a difficult one ? especially if you only have one eye, a limp and were born out of wedlock.