The most controversial law in football is the one dealing with offside. It’s highly technical, radical, and extremely difficult to implement, but obviously interesting when applied correctly in a match situation. Center referees and their assistants are generally encouraged to show conscientiousness in the application of this very sensitive and controversial law.
A unique feature of the offside rule is the fact that the world governing body, FIFA, generally changes the rules periodically and also gives the assistant referee the power to rule a player who is in an offside playing position. match. The central referee following the determination of his assistant can make the final decision to stop the game.
Therefore, the need for assistant referees to be fully focused for the duration of the game cannot be compromised, as lack of focus can be very costly. 100% safety and an attacker’s attempt to be on active play directly implies that the assistant referee will mark the positional play out of play. To signal an offside position in the game, two conditions are required:
Charge and activity/charge without activity
The fact that an opposing player is in the opposing half of the court does not necessarily constitute an offside position. The active participation of the player is very important when making a call. The guilty player must have the intention of interfering with play before being penalized for playing position offside.
Therefore, the assistant referee must ensure that before the flag is raised, he must be absolutely certain that the player is:
- involved in active play
- interfere with an opponent
- seeking to gain an undue advantage by being in that position
The FIFA Laws of the Game are normally reviewed periodically, hence the need for referees and their assistants to familiarize themselves with the current additional rules. The controversy surrounding this rule caused FIFA and some Football Associations to sanction the use of a fifth referee who is usually by the goal line during matches.
Exceptions to the rule
A player cannot be declared in an offside position when he receives the ball directly from:
- a throw-in
- a goal kick
Physical and mental fitness is required among referees to ensure that one is not too far from the actual playing position. When a referee is not physically or mentally fit, the tendency to make a mistake when scoring becomes inevitable.
In conclusion, a player cannot be said to be offside if he does not interfere with play. This means that it is not an offense per se to be in an offside position. The assistant referee makes a call when a player is closer to his opponents’ goal line than the ball and the last opponent of the second goal.
