Offside (association football)

The offside rule is a provision in sports like football, rugby union and hockey, the specific field positions attacking player against the defenders of the opposing team declared irregular and thus prevents the attack on the opponent's goal. Since offside decisions of the referee and his assistants can be controversial at times, they regularly perform especially in football to heated discussions among the followers of the teams participating in the game. In the sports listed above rule variations and the rule is subject to change in itself controversial, and from time to time.

The offside rule prevents offensive players waiting behind the defensive players or even near the gate on long passes, and thus leads to a gradual build-up play with dribbling and running game.

Football

Formation

The basic rule of offside ( in English and in Switzerland: Offside ) were built in to the beginnings of the regulated football in the 19th century in England. At that time were not even set the size of the goal or the playing fields and the number of players. The reasoning was that it was unfair, behind the back of the opponent to score a goal. The rule should also prevent an attacking fielders placed near the opponent's goal, waiting for the ball and then intercalates him effortlessly. With the first official rule from 1863 only passports were allowed back. " Because so but no (liquid ) game got under way, the offside rule was changed after three years," so Zuspiele forward were possible: From 1866 to 1925 was not offside when at least three defending players between the goal line and the attacker positioned were.

Since 1907, offside is no longer possible in their own half of the pitch. With kick and corner there was no offside, with a throw does. 1920, the offside rule was lifted for the ball. The currently valid offside rules were established in 1925. Since 1990, same height is no longer offside.

The rule comes from the rugby, the sport of football was the predecessor to the split between rugby and American Football Association. In rugby today is still the forward pass prohibited. In American football, there is an infraction is called offside, but here means that, seen a defensive player at the beginning of the turn in the viewing direction of his team, behind the ball (ie, on the side of attacker) is located. After the start of the turn of the stay behind the opposing players in American football is allowed for both sides.

Offside position

The Rule 11 ( offside ) of the rule first defines the position at which a player can be " off ". Accordingly, a player is in an offside position

• If it is the opponents' goal line than both the ball closer [ colloquially: if it is " ahead of the ball " is ] and
• He is closer to the opponents' goal line (*) as the penultimate opponent [ less than 2 opposing players, whether goalkeeper or field player, are in front of him ] and
• If he is not in his own half.

(*) The same height as the penultimate or the last two opponents is not offside

Notes:

Determining factor for position for the struck player's feet are, torso and head ( body parts with which the ball may be played regularly compliant), but not the arms.

In determining the number of opponent it does not matter whether it is the goalkeeper or field player, even if the goalkeeper is usually the last opponent. Are the two or more of the last opponent on the same level as a true of them as the penultimate opponent.

In assessing the offside position include all defending players, regardless of whether they are on the court or not. The only exceptions are the players that have left the place with the consent of the referee (eg, for treatment of an injury ). Should a defending player the place without the consent of the referee, he counts as standing on their own goal line or the touch line. With this provision is to prevent a defender intentionally leaves the place to ask an opponent offside.

In general, a player who leaves the court intentionally and without the consent of the referee, be cautioned. An attacking player who is in an offside position is, however, this allows to evade the offside position. However, he has to wait for re-entry into the game until the situation is clarified and the referee agrees to the re-entry.

Rules / punishable offside

In the second part of Rule 11 defines when the offside position is a misdemeanor, punishable So the meaning of the offside rule; because the offside player is not in itself an offense represents a player can only be penalized for an offside position when the view of the referee

• At the time at which the ball touches or is played by a teammate,
• Actively participating in the game by interfering with play, interfering with an opponent, from his position takes advantage.

No offside is when a player receives the ball directly

• For a goal kick, a throw or a corner.

Notes

Active game participation is when the player touches the ball or is in a battle for the ball at an opponent in the current game situation otherwise affected (visual disability), disabled or from the offside position takes advantage ( he plays or touches the of the bar, the post or the opponent bouncing ball).

The difficulty for the arbitrator to determine offside or not offside, has two assessments: First, the judge must decide whether, in a game situation is present in an offside position. If this is the case, the offside position should be penalized when a game intervention is present. Also note:

• Can more than one attacking player take a ball and are not all of them at the time of ball release in offside position, the referee must wait until the reception of the ball before he makes his decision ( "wait and see "). If the referee considers only one standing in offside player is able to take the ball and trying this for the ball, he shall immediately decide on offside.
• Any contact by a player of the attacking team is considered as a new game situation, that is, it is to make a reassessment of whether an attacking player is in an offside position; all hitherto existing offside positions that do not ' should have already lead to a decision on, offside, then done.
• If a defensive one by an attacking player playing ball abfälscht unintentionally or bouncing the ball from a wounded player of the defending team, the original offside situation applies and it is considered offside.
• If the ball comes from a deliberate ball game of a defender, so the offside position is irrelevant. An exception is intended ball contacts defending player, including the goalkeeper, serve the defense of a directed goal shot; in this case remain the conditions to that from the position of an advantage can be drawn.

Follow

If the referee offside, he speaks of the opposing team to an indirect free-kick. This must be done at the point where the player was when the ball delivery in offside position. When offside is a technical rule violation, not a forbidden game ( foul), or unsportsmanlike conduct. Therefore, it may be because of offside never a penalty ( personal punishment ), caution or sending-off give off (red card ) against the player, not, as provided in the rules for other difficult cases, because of repeated violations of the rules of the game; a similar scheme there is otherwise only for the ball.

In deciding whether a player is in an offside position and a rule violation is penalized, the referee receives support in higher-class leagues by his assistants. Since these are on the sidelines at the same level with the second last opponent, they can better assess the situation usually. The assistants were stopped at the Confederations Cup in 2005, to wait until the player is standing away from really engaging in your games, and only then to give a banner sign. The German Football Association was, however, for the season 2005/ 06 the statement, only to wait until obviously can intervene only of standing away from the player, and thus this controversial innovation largely not implemented because, in the time in which is the offside already but has not been shown, there is an unnecessary risk of injury and an uncertainty in interpretation of other rules. In addition, this rule led to understandable frustration among players who were running after a play and was then blown in their subsequent contact with the ball. 2006 World Cup this rule interpretation was then taken over by FIFA.

The offside rule does not apply to indoor soccer and deleted depending on the association in some youth leagues.

Since modern football has become faster, wrong decisions are more frequent and can not be avoided forever. The Spanish physician Francisco Belda Maruenda demonstrated that it is a human principle not possible to observe a larger number of players and the ball as accurate as it would be necessary for a secure decision. To remedy this, systems are available that monitor electronically the positions of the players and the ball. The referee must decide if present when the detected positions punishable offside then only.

If a defending team leaves the opposing team run targeted marginalized by the defenders run just before the opposing ball play fast forward ( from the own goal away), one speaks of an offside trap. This defensive tactic is one of the most difficult in modern football, because sometimes give fractions of seconds and centimeters decisive. The offside trap was particularly perfected by Ajax Amsterdam and the Dutch and Belgian national team in the 70s.

Criticism of the " passive offside "

The regulation of the commonly referred to as "passive offside " offside limitation, stating that the referee must run the game, when a player though is flagged for offside, but engages either directly or indirectly into the game, since its introduction has repeatedly criticized. It 's all about the difficulty of objectively assessing whether a player engages in some form or not. Both at club level and at international level demanded especially coach repeated, the scheme to compose clear and simple. Also, a recurring theme was the abolition, as of Ottmar Hitzfeld, Joachim Loew, Jupp Heynckes and Louis van Gaal.

One in 2005, introduced by FIFA, first used the Confederations Cup rule that said that the referee only to abpfeifen the game when the or touched the ball, the player standing on the sidelines, proved insufficient. The rule led to curious game delays. The referee - chairman of the Football Association, Volker Roth, it commented as follows:

" I could not resist a laugh on the screen. One can surely such a rule interpretation not be serious if you let a player run 20 aloof, 30 m, and opponents assistant behind him, then when he touches the ball to whip out the flag. "

After vigorous opposition from numerous football and referee associations that interpretation was again relativized to the effect that will only be considered offside when clear only the offside player standing to intervene, even if it has not yet touched the ball.

To eliminate the passive offside there was the option of either to decide on offside when a player stays in offside position, regardless of whether it engages in the game or not, or because of changes in conditions abolish the offside rule quite " as before " is always:

" The danger that the strikers are just outside the gate is no longer today. Because today every striker needs to do defensive work, so that the opponent is not too easy to play out outnumbered situations. "

Rugby Union

In rugby union, a player is offside

• When he is at one with the foot played forward pass before the ball kicking players (10 -meter offside ) or
• If he resides before the last foot of a part in this situation, the player's own team when one of the static game situations ( arranged or ruck or pack ) or
• When a lane is taking place and the player who does not participate in the alley, closer than 10 m to the aisle line is or
• When he places himself in front of the ball at a situation in which a player is held and interferes with play.

After a breach of the offside rule, the opposing team gets a penalty kick. Unintentional Offsides is penalized with a arranged scrum when the opposition throw.

Hockey

Away ( IIHF Rule 450/451 ) is present if at least one attacking player is with both skates in the opponent's defensive zone before the puck has completely crossed the blue line, and that there plays the puck. To avoid an offside so should be in the moment when the puck crosses the blue line, between the attacking player and the opponents' goal line, no other player from the attacking team are.

It is not considered offside if

• The disc is played back by a defending player in his defending zone, or if
• The attacking player riding backwards controls the puck promoted leading to attack third at bat.

Offside goal area ( IIHF Rule 471 ) is when an attacking player is in the goal area of the opponent. It is then blown and carried out a bully in the neutral zone. However, where the player is passive in the goal area, ie without the intervention game and obstructing the goalkeeper, then the game continues. If the player is pushed by a defender in the goal area, whistle blows, 2 minutes bench penalty for obstruction against the defender imposed.

A third possible offside form is the two-line pass (or Red Line Offside ). If a player plays a ball over two lines (blue and red ), the game whistle blows; in this way, fast counter be stopped. In European hockey leagues this rule no longer applies since the abolition by the IIHF in 1998, in the NHL it was abolished for the 2005/06 season. Since the season 2005/06 Extraliga Czech Republic has the offside introduced the two-line pass again (see hockey in the Czech Republic ).

American Football

An offside occurs when a player is located at the snap in or beyond the neutral zone. The neutral zone is determined by the length of the cue ball. Only the center may fall into the neutral zone to play up the movement of the ball to begin with. The penalty is 5 yards loss of space and repeat the experiment.