Stevie Wonder rings up the Ref

[Staffsoatcake]

Of the Holland v Italy game and tells him,"if none of the Dutch players were offside for the first goal, then Im a Black man"

[Cityfullergoals]

How did he know they were offside?

[scfcmatt]

What are the rules on that though? is it that as soon as a defender is over the white line he's inactive and shouldn't be classed as playing him on side? Surely if that's the case a player could just throw himself off the pitch to make the striker offside? Likewise with an injury surely a player could fake needing treatment off the pitch so that he's inactive

[Northy]

matt, if he accidentally goes off the pitch the he is classed as active, last paragraph below -

In 2005 The International Football Association Board agreed a new Decision in Law 11 that being 'nearer to his opponent's goal line' meant that "any part of his head, body or feet is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent. The arms are not included in this definition." [1] This is taken to mean that any part of the attacking player named in this Decision 2 has to be past the part of the second last defender closest to his goal line (excluding the arms) and past the part of the ball closest to the defenders' goal line.

In general, what this means is that either the attacking team should ensure the opposing team has at least two players (of which the opposition's goalkeeper is included) in front of the furthest forward player of the attacking team, or all players of the attacking team should be behind the ball such that it remains closer to the goal line than any of the player of the attacking team. If the goalkeeper is ahead of the play, then the forward will have to be in line with or behind two defenders (considering they are not in their own half).

Additionally Article 11.4.1 of the referring code states "an opposing player cannot be offside when one of the last two defenders has left the field of play"(citation needed)