Additional Guidance

1. Interfering with an opponent

Clarification

In addition to the situations already outlined in the Laws of the Game, a player in an
offside position shall also be penalised if he:

• clearly attempts to play a ball which is close to him if his action impacts on an opponent

or

• makes an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball

Guidance

• ‘clearly attempts’ – this wording is designed to prevent a player who runs towards the ball from quite a long distance being penalised (unless he gets close to the ball).
• ‘close’ is important so that a player is not penalised when the ball goes clearly over his head or clearly in front of him.

• ‘impact’ applies to an opponent’s ability (or potential) to play the ball and will include situations where an opponent’s movement to play the ball is delayed, hindered or prevented by the offside player.

However, just because a player is an offside position it does not always mean that he has an impact. For example:

• if the ball is on the right-hand side of the field and an ‘offside’ player in the centre of the field moves into a new attacking position he is not penalised unless this action affects an opponent’s ability to play the ball

• where a player tries to play the ball as it is going into the goal without affecting an opponent, or in situations where there is no opposition player near, he should not .be penalised