While soccer has some of the most mind-boggling rules, the Offside Rule easily tops the list. The Offside Rule has long troubled soccer players and their teams during matches. It was not until the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in 2016 that the rule achieved more clarity. However, even after the introduction of the VAR, some discrepancies regarding the rule can still be seen frequently.
The Offside Rule was reportedly introduced almost two centuries ago in 1863. Although the rule has been often modified and changed with the evolution of the rules of soccer.
To put it simply, the Offside Rule is used to prohibit players from scoring goals from an illegal position on the pitch. The standard explanation of the rule has been given by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
According to Law 11 of the IFAB, a player is in an offside position under multiple circumstances. The rule states that if any part of the player’s head, body, or feet are in the opponent’s half, and any part of the head, body, or feet is closer to the opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent, the player is considered to be in an offside position.
Although a player simply being in an offside position isn’t considered an offense, it will only be an offense if the player attempts to touch or in any way attempts to interfere with the passage of play. Moreover, the rule doesn’t apply in cases of a throw-in, a goal kick, or a corner kick. The referee gives the opponent team a free kick when a player is fouled for being in an offside position.
The purpose of the Offside Rule
During the early days, players often used to laze around near the opponent’s goal waiting for the chance to score. This led to players gaining an undue advantage for scoring goals, which was very difficult to contain. Therefore, when the Football Association devised official soccer rules in 1863, the Offside Rule was also created.
1863: The offside rule was created to stop players “goal-hanging”
1990: modified so that “in-line” with defenders was not offside
2005: modified to exclude hands and arms from being offside
2022: AI says your toe is too big pic.twitter.com/3ueX9GVNBl
— The Roaring Peacock 🦚 #LUFC podcast/ youtube (@PeacocksRoar) September 8, 2022
The first soccer match in which the rule was introduced took place on December 19, 1863, between Morley’s Barnes team and Richmond. However, the rule has undergone multiple changes since then. The initial rule stated that a player is considered to be offside unless three opposing players (including the goalkeeper) were in front of him.
The rule was modified in 1925, with the required number of opposing players being reduced to two. The rule was again changed in 1990. The third modification stated that a player is onside if he is level with the second-last opposing player including the goalkeeper. However, even after so many changes, we often see controversial offside calls even in today’s times.
🚨🚨 BREAKING: Semi-automated offside technology will be used at FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
Sensors are going to be placed in the balls to make offside decisions faster🤔 pic.twitter.com/92br33qYWN
— GIDEON (@AkwasciF) July 1, 2022
During the World Cup 2022, FIFA announced the use of semi-automated technology to help referees with tight offside calls. The Adidas match balls were also equipped with a sensor to determine the exact position of a player on the pitch. However, even after the use of such state-of-the-art technology, controversies related to offside still occurred during the World Cup 2022.