offside rule
Attacker placement regulation
The offside rule in football (soccer) prevents attacking players from gaining unfair advantage by positioning themselves behind the last defender when the ball is played to them.
A player is offside if they're nearer to the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-to-last defender at the moment a teammate passes.
The rule keeps attackers from simply camping near the goal: The striker was caught offside, VAR overturned the offside call.
Notoriously difficult to explain to newcomers, the offside rule has spawned countless pub debates and exasperated partners.
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