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The Hindu
a day ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
IFAB tweaks offside rule after Swedish club Torns IF finds loophole
Swedish third-tier side Torns IF's persistence forced the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to make a slight change to its offside rule on Wednesday. In August 2023, the team released a light-hearted video on social media, which showcased Torns' coach Richard Ringhov and a few players explaining how a 'scoop pass' could act as a loophole to get past the offside rule. IFAB's distinction between passes is hard to understand. The clarification of the offside law only applies to keeper throws and not to related passes, e.g. scoop and swivel passes. But, it's a win for us. We changed the rules, and some types of the Torn Pass can still be used. — Torns IF (@TornsIF1965) June 12, 2025 According to the previous rule, 'A player is in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched by a team-mate; is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by the first point of contact of the 'play' or 'touch' of the ball should be used.' ALSO READ | Real Madrid signs Argentina teenager Mastantuono on six-year deal Torns argued that a player could scoop the ball into their foot and hold onto it while their teammate goes into an offside position and receive the ball. While the suggestion was dismissed at the time, the IFAB eventually found it amusing and a slight clarification has been made to a footnote of the offside law in the Laws of the Game 2025/26 released on June 11, and relates to one example of a 'delayed' pass: when a goalkeeper throws the ball down the field to find a forward's run behind the opponent's defence. 'When the ball is thrown by the goalkeeper, the last point of contact should be used, as this provides a clearer and more consistent reference point,' it says on the IFAB website. Meanwhile, in the rest of the passing instances, a judgment is made related to 'the first point of contact'. 'IFAB's distinction between passes is hard to understand. The clarification of the offside law only applies to keeper throws and not to related passes, e.g. scoop and swivel passes. But it's a win for us. We changed the rules, and some types of the Torn Pass can still be used,' Torns said in a post on social media. Related Topics IFAB
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Fourth-tier Swedish club force global change in offside law after finding genius 'loophole' in rules
The international offside law has been updated after a fourth-tier Swedish club exposed a 'loophole' in the regulations - but the flaw in the rules still exists. Torns IF, a club from the small settlement of Stangby, caught the attention of world football in the summer of 2023 when they released a video revealing the problem. The traditional rules dictated that offsides would be judged based off when the passer first made contact with the ball in their final touch. In the vast majority of scenarios, this is no issue at all because when a player typically kicks a football, the 'first contact' is also their 'last contact'. But Torns demonstated that if a player could scoop up the ball and balance it on their foot, a team-mate could theoretically run well beyond the defence and not count as offside even if they released a pass multiple seconds later in the same 'touch'. It is hard to ever envision that scenario happening in a game due to the pressure players are under, but Torns wrote to IFAB, football's lawmakers, over the issue. Now, almost two years down the line, IFAB have replied to thank the club and reveal that they have updated the rules of the game. Torns IF, from a place with an approximated population of around 2,000 people, have technically helped change the rules of the beautiful game for us all. But not so fast. The problem has not really been solved. IFAB's updated rules read: 'The first point of contact of the 'play' or 'touch' of the ball should still be used; however, when the ball is thrown by the goalkeeper, the last point of contact should be used.' IFAB have only updated the law applying to goalkeepers but theoretically, Torns' 'scoop pass' way of circumventing the law still stands. The club wrote on X: 'We did it. Torns IF changed the rules of football. After the introduction of the Torn pass and lengthy e-mail correspondence with IFAB, the offside law has been amended. We are immensely proud of our contribution to the beautiful game.' But they added in a separate post: 'IFAB's distinction between passes is hard to understand. The clarification of the offside law only applies to keeper throws and not to related passes, e.g. scoop and swivel passes. But, it's a win for us. We changed the rules, and some types of the Torn Pass can still be used.' Writing in 2023, Torns IF proudly revealed their cunning trick: 'Torns IF have developed an ingenious method to create one-on-ones with the goalkeeper. 'It's based on a rule found on page 93 in the Laws of the Game stating that the first point of contact of the 'play' or 'touch' of the ball' should be used when judging offside. Groundbreaking. 'This is amusing and interesting. In terms of the "spirit" of the Law, this is obviously offside and, in terms of the Law itself, the "balancing" of the ball on the foot is a different "play" from the movement which gives the ball momentum to move. 'We will review if the wording of Law 11 needs changing in light of this "theoretical" situation.'
