Offside Rule Clarification Please

[GlennMiller]

In the first half today, Nombe was given offside and Millwall took the free kick from inside our half. My understanding was that when a player is returning from an offside position, as Nombe was, and touches the ball/interferes with play, the free kick is awarded from where he touches the ball/interferes with play - in today's case, about 3 yards inside our half; not from where he was in an offside position.

Lots of people in the crowd cried foul and even Victor and Cam challenged the Ref on the placement of the free kick.

Anyone know the rules well enough to clarify?

[flourbasher]

It usually depends on which team you play for rather than what it says in the rule book
We found this out to our cost at the beginning of this season

[Jocksgloves1]

Someone told me the Ref was explaining to the players that it wasn't given for offside.

[howdydoo]

Someone told me the Ref was explaining to the players that it wasn't given for offside.

I believe the latest rule is:

The position of the player when the ball is played decides whether he is on offside position - in this case, he is just over the halfway line, but comes back in to his own half to play the ball. The free-kick is at the place he plays the ball, so could be in his own half of the FOP.