Referee Review
Why was this decision made?
See the key points from a referee’s perspective
Show explanation
Referee Review
Why was this decision made?
See the key points from a referee’s perspective
Show explanationHow the footage and Laws apply
Look at the assistant referee's judgement and how they kept in line. As the replay shows, it was a razor-thin decision. The replay also clearly shows the assistant referee positioned in line with the second-last opponent. Moving continuously with the line requires very quick reactions and is not easy. Keeping in line like this even in a fast-moving situation is truly excellent. It is likely that keeping in line is what allowed the assistant referee to judge such a razor-thin incident correctly. This is a valuable example for assistant referees.
Relevant Laws
Law 11 - Offside / Law 6 - The Other Match Officials (Assistant referees)
Official references
Check the wording of the Laws
The links above lead to official IFAB and JFA resources. The application of the Laws to this incident is the author’s analysis and is not an official view of IFAB, JFA or the competition organiser.
Want to test your understanding of this decision?
Build confidence with more Laws of the Game questions in the app.
Try more questions in the appRelated Scenes
[Advantage] A goal featuring advantage on a counter-attack and the assistant referee keeping in line | 2026/27 J1 League Matchweek 7 Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Cerezo Osaka
[Offside] A goal ruled out after being judged within a continuous passage of play in which two shots were blocked | 2026/27 J2 League Matchweek 4 RB Omiya Ardija vs Shonan Bellmare