The referee makes the final decision on offside in football, but assistant referees usually spot possible offenses and signal them with a raised flag. If video assistant referee (VAR) is in use, it can review certain offside decisions, while the referee remains responsible for the final on-field decision.
Knowing who does what makes close calls easier to understand. This guide explains when a player is actually offside, how officials judge the moment of a pass, what VAR can review, and why an assistant referee may wait before raising a flag.
who decides offside in football?
The referee has the final authority to award or reject an offside offense. Assistant referees, who run along the touchlines, watch for players in offside positions and raise a flag when they believe one becomes involved in play. The referee considers that signal and makes the decision.
The flag is an important signal, not a separate ruling. The referee can accept it, wave it away, or use information from the assistant to make a decision. Officials communicate with each other, often using headsets, so the referee may hear an explanation as well as see the flag.
In matches using VAR, the video assistant referee can check certain incidents, including whether a goal should be disallowed for offside in the attacking move. VAR provides information or recommends an on-field review when the applicable protocol allows it. The match referee still makes the final decision.
In everyday conversation, football here means association football, also called soccer. The same basic division of responsibility applies across professional and amateur matches, though the number of officials and availability of video review can differ.
What makes a player offside?
Being in an offside position is not, by itself, an offense. A player is penalized only if, at the moment a teammate plays or touches the ball, the player is in an offside position and then becomes involved in active play.
A player is in an offside position when all of the following apply:
- The player is in the opponents’ half of the field. The halfway line itself does not count as being in the opponents’ half.
- Some part of the player’s head, body, or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
- The player is not level with the second-last opponent or level with the last two opponents.
The goalkeeper is often the last opponent, but not always. Officials count opponents, not positions: if the goalkeeper has moved upfield, an outfield player may be the opponent nearest the goal line. The ball also matters. An attacker level with or behind the ball when a teammate plays it is not in an offside position.
Hands and arms do not count for either attackers or opponents. For this rule, the boundary of the arm is the line at the bottom of the armpit. So a player may look slightly ahead because of an arm or shoulder, yet still be level under the offside rule if the relevant head, body, and feet are not ahead.
Officials assess the player’s position at the instant the teammate first plays or touches the ball. They do not judge it by where the attacker is when the ball arrives. A forward can run past a defender after the pass and still be onside if the position was legal at the moment the ball was played.
How officials decide whether the player interfered
After identifying an offside position, officials must decide whether that player became involved in active play. The main routes are interfering with play, interfering with an opponent, or gaining an advantage from the position.
Interfering with play
This is the most direct case: the player touches or plays the ball passed or touched by a teammate. A player’s position alone does not qualify. If the ball travels to a different teammate who was onside, the player who stayed out of the play is not automatically penalized.
Interfering with an opponent
A player can be penalized without touching the ball if their position affects an opponent’s ability to play it. Examples include clearly blocking an opponent’s line of vision or challenging that opponent for the ball. Merely being near a defender, without affecting their actions, is not enough on its own.
Officials judge the actual effect on the opponent. They consider where the player is, what the opponent can see, and whether the player challenges for or competes for the ball. This can make a crowded goalmouth harder to assess than a simple pass to a lone attacker.
Gaining an advantage
A player may be penalized for gaining an advantage by playing a ball that rebounds or deflects to them from a goalpost, crossbar, or opponent after they were in an offside position. The rule also covers playing a ball deliberately saved by an opponent. A save is an attempt to stop a ball that is going into or very close to the goal.
A deflection is not the same as a defender deliberately playing the ball. If a defender has control and a genuine opportunity to play the ball, that deliberate action can reset the offside phase, allowing an attacker who was previously in an offside position to receive it. A touch that is only a ricochet or an unavoidable deflection does not reset the phase. Deliberately saving a shot is an exception: it does not make a previously offside attacker onside.
When the offside position is measured
The key moment is often called the moment the ball is played. Officials look at the teammate’s first point of contact when playing or touching the ball, then compare the attacker’s position with the ball and the second-last opponent. The attacker’s later movement does not change that snapshot.
This timing is why a player who appears behind a defender when receiving the ball may still be offside: they could have been ahead when the pass was made. It also explains the reverse. A forward who starts level with a defender can sprint beyond them after the pass without being offside.
Assistant referees must judge that instant while tracking both the passer and several moving players. On close attacks, the assistant may keep the flag down briefly if there is doubt and the move could produce a clear scoring opportunity. This is a delayed flag. It gives the attack time to finish so that a potentially reviewable decision is not stopped too early. It does not mean the attacker has been declared onside.
If the attack ends without a goal or a significant reviewable incident, the referee can stop play when the assistant signals. If a goal is scored, VAR may check the attacking phase in competitions that use it. The delay is a practical safeguard, not proof that the assistant missed the call.
What each official does on a close call
| Official | Main responsibility | Best way to understand the role |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant referee | Tracks offside positions and possible involvement from the touchline; signals a suspected offense. | Usually the first official to identify the position and raise the flag. |
| Referee | Controls the match, considers the assistant’s signal, and awards or rejects the offense. | Has final on-field authority, including the restart decision. |
| VAR, when used | Checks eligible incidents, including offside in a goal-scoring move, under the competition’s protocol. | Provides a review or recommendation; does not replace the referee as final decision-maker. |
These roles work together. For example, an assistant may see an attacker ahead of the second-last opponent and raise a flag after the player touches the ball. The referee then stops play and awards an indirect free kick if satisfied that an offside offense occurred.
On another play, the assistant may flag a player who was in an offside position but did not touch the ball or affect an opponent. The referee can wave the flag down because being in that position alone is not an offense. The decision depends on the full action, not just a player’s location.
What VAR can and cannot decide
VAR is not used in every football match. It operates only in competitions that have adopted the system and use the relevant protocol. Where it is available, the VAR checks eligible incidents and can communicate information to the referee. Offside is often reviewable when it affects a goal or another eligible decision in the attacking phase.
For a close offside call, video officials review the relevant passage and identify the moment the ball was played. They then assess the attacker’s position and whether that player became involved. Some systems use calibrated lines to help judge the relative positions. These lines support the review; they do not change the Law’s definition of offside.
Not every offside flag leads to a long review. Clear decisions may be checked quickly by the video team, while a decision that is not clear or involves a judgment about interfering with an opponent may require the referee to view footage at the monitor. The process and tools can differ between competitions.
VAR does not decide every part of the match, and it does not make the assistant referee unnecessary. The assistant still watches the live play and signals what they see. The referee remains accountable for the match decision, even when video evidence informs it.
When a player cannot be penalized for offside
The Laws of the Game list three restarts from which a player cannot be penalized for receiving the ball directly: a goal kick, a throw-in, and a corner kick. A player may stand beyond the defenders in these situations and receive the ball without committing an offside offense.
The exemption applies to the direct delivery. If a teammate then touches or plays the ball, the normal offside test applies to the next action. For instance, an attacker can receive a throw-in near goal, but if that player then passes to a teammate who is in an offside position when the pass is made, the teammate may still be penalized if they become involved.
There is also no offside offense if a player is in their own half when the teammate plays the ball. And a player level with the second-last opponent, or level with the ball, is not in an offside position. These details often explain why an attacker who seems close to the goal is allowed to continue.
What happens after an offside decision?
When the referee awards an offside offense, the opposing team receives an indirect free kick. This means a teammate must touch the ball before a goal can be scored directly from the kick. The restart is taken from the place where the offside offense occurred, including when that spot is in the offending player’s own half.
The referee usually signals an indirect free kick by raising one arm above the head. The arm stays raised until the ball touches another player or goes out of play. The assistant’s raised flag helps indicate the suspected offense, while the referee’s signal and whistle manage the stoppage and restart.
If the assistant signals but the referee decides there was no offense, play continues unless the referee has already stopped it. Players should not assume that a raised flag automatically ends the play; the referee’s whistle is the clear signal to stop. In a match with VAR, players should also avoid treating a video check as a final ruling until the referee indicates the restart.
Common offside misunderstandings
- Being beyond the defenders is not enough. The player must be in an offside position when a teammate plays the ball and then become involved in active play.
- The goalkeeper is not always the reference point. Officials count the second-last opponent, who could be an outfield player if the goalkeeper is out of position.
- A player does not have to touch the ball to be penalized. Blocking an opponent’s view or challenging them for the ball can count as involvement.
- A defender’s touch does not always reset offside. A deflection or save does not have the same effect as a deliberate play with control.
- A flag is not the final authority. The referee decides whether to stop play and award the offense.
One especially easy mistake is judging the attacker’s position at the point of reception. Watch the passer’s contact instead, then ask whether the attacker’s head, body, or feet were ahead of both the ball and the second-last opponent. Finally, check whether the player affected the play. Those three steps explain most close calls.
The referee decides whether an offside offense has occurred. Assistant referees usually spot and signal possible offenses, while VAR can review eligible calls when the competition uses it; the referee remains responsible for the final ruling.
To assess a close play, focus on the instant a teammate plays the ball, compare the attacker with the ball and second-last opponent, then check whether the attacker became involved. Remember that an offside position alone is not an offense.