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
This was an excellent decision by the assistant referee on an exceptionally close offside line. At the moment the through ball was played, the gap between the toes of Yokohama's No. 9 and the defending player was less than a foot's length. The assistant referee correctly judged the small difference between the attacker running at speed and the defensive line.
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.
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Watch offside clips 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](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XAs7YM7U6GE/hqdefault.jpg)
[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
[Onside] The assistant referee judging a razor-thin line on a goal from a cross | 2026/27 J1 League Matchweek 7 Sanfrecce Hiroshima vs Cerezo Osaka
![[Positioning] The referee's running on a counter-attack, and the assistant referee keeping the line with side-steps | 2026/27 J1 League Matchweek 4 Kawasaki Frontale vs JEF United Chiba](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lvqnuZMbj_Q/hqdefault.jpg)