From the point of view of football terminology, the offside is a concept that applies to the player of the attacking team and determines its location at the time of the pass in relation to the opponent’s goal, closer in comparison with the defending players. Speaking of what an offside is, it means that the striker remains face to face with the goalkeeper, which is fixed by a wave of the flag from the side referee. In general, the notion of offside means violation of the rules, and may be punished by the main referee of a football match in different ways, even with a yellow card. As practice shows, in order to understand the rule of offside, it is best to come to the match and see this moment live.
In addition to football, a similar concept also exists in basketball, hockey and even water polo. The main reason for the appearance of this rule is to ensure the entertainment of the match and the dynamic development of the game. Speaking of what an offside is, it should be noted that it appeared in the ninth paragraph of the very first football rules, which were published in October 1863. Even then, it was mentioned in them that as soon as a football player was ahead of the ball, he should immediately find himself behind him, otherwise a violation of the rules would be recorded. Among other things, there are two big exceptions to what offside is. The violation is not fixed, and the game does not stop if, firstly, the off-side footballer did not touch the ball and did not interfere with the goalkeeper, in other words, did not participate in the development of the attack; secondly, if the attacking player was at the time of the transfer from behind his partner, who executed it.
According to the rules of football, an offside position must be recorded by that side referee, in whose half of the field the attack develops. At the same time, his ideal location should be on the same line with the football player whose team is defending. When fixing a position outside the game, the side referee raises the flag vertically up, thereby signaling the main referee. It was he who should whistle, reporting a violation of the rules, and stop the game. After that, a free kick is awarded from the offside spot. At his discretion, the head judge may not whistle, but only if he is sure of the assistant’s mistake. It should be noted that if he makes a mistake in this regard, he will be punished more seriously than the side referee.
Understanding what offside is, in conclusion, attention should be paid to the fact that the player is in this position if he is closer to the front line than the ball and the last defender of the opponent. At the same time, this provision does not apply to those players who are located in their half of the field, on the same line with the last two opposing players, or at the level with the last player of the opposing team. Moreover, it is not considered a violation of the rules for a player to receive the ball immediately after a shot from the goal, throw-in of an out corner or a corner kick. The punishment for breaking this football rule is an indirect blow to the opponents. In modern football, the offside has long been one of the tactics for protecting one's own goal.