Here’s an excellent explanation of the offside rule.
Simple, see? 
The teams are awarded 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss, and the two teams in each group advance to the second round, after which point the competition become a knock-out.
In the case of two teams ending on the same number of points, the “goal difference” is used to decide which of them should advance. This is determined by the difference between the number of goals you score and the number scored against you. The team with the highest (positive) difference goes through.
If two teams are still tied after goal difference is taken into account, then other systems of differentiation are used, including smallest number of red/yellow cards, or other things that I am not clear on, culminating in the toss of a coin, if no other way can be used to seperate the teams - I think!!!
Gp
‘Crease’ is a new one on me - it’s usually a term in cricket (that class is in a room up the hall).
The top two teams in each group progress to the next round. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. The two teams with the most points progress. If teams finish level on points, the team with the best goal difference comes out on top. Goal difference is calculated by subtracting the number of goals a team concedes during the first round from the number it scores. If teams’ goal difference is the same, the team that has scored the most goals progresses (it’s better to score four and concede three than to score two and concede one, even though both goal differences are +1).
After the first round, 16 of the 32 teams will remain. Then it becomes a straight knock-out tournament. If games are level after the regulation 90 minutes, a maximum of 30 minutes extra time is played. This operates on the same basis as American Football, with the team that scores first (the golden goal) winning. If neither team scores, the game is decided by a penalty shoot out (you’ll recognise a penalty shoot out because at the end eleven men wearing white shirts with three lions on them will look miserable).
Graphical elucidation of the offside rule.
GP,
Red and yellow cards don’t come into it this time round. It’s goal difference in all group games, then goals scored in all group games, then points in games between the tied teams, then goal difference in games between the tied teams, then goals scored in games between the tied teams, and finally the drawing of lots. I only know this because it’s not inconceivable that the Irish group could come down to lots between us and Cameroon.
Thanks mwap I tried to find the regs on the FIFA site but failed…
One question: Don’t “then points in games between the tied teams, then goal difference in games between the tied teams, then goals scored in games between the tied teams” all mean the same thing? If the game between the two tied teams was drawn, then goal difference and goals scored will be the same as well…
Gp
Very good.
This is a reference to the English team and their very disappointing (yeah right ) record when it comes to penalty kick out in major competitions.
Fuck, the shirts might as well be orange. Semi Finals 1998, anyone? 
Italia 90
Romania in the 2nd round. Aaahhh what memories
Gp,
You’re right if the teams in question drew with one another (which would be the case in Ireland’s group), but you could tie on overall points and GD with a team you didn’t draw with in your head-to-head match. Also, it deals with three way ties, where teams may have all beaten each other and finished level on overall GD but their goal differences against one another would vary.
In case anyone’s interested, a 1-0 win for Ireland against Saudi Arabia coupled with a 1-1 draw between Cameroon and Germany would result in lots being draw between Ireland and Cameroon for the second qualifying spot. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
On the issue of penalties, the ‘who the fuck let him take one?’ trophy has to go to Italy, who have lost on penalties in the latter stages of the last three World Cups.
“Crease” is the term in hockey for the blue semi-circle around the goal. I assume Barbarian is refering to the penalty box area.
More questions for the knowledgeable.
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Is it legal for a player who has been substituted off to be substituted back on again?
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Fans and commentators tend to fuss over a team being awarded a corner, as if this is always a serious goal scoring opportunity. I realise some good goals have come from corners (e.g. Beckham / Sol Campbell’s). But it seems to me (passive interest in the game over past 20 years) that scoring from a corner is no more likely than from any other position, and about 20 corners produce nothing for every one that results in a goal. So, is the fuss made over corners a bit over-rich? Or am I missing something?
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One obscure rule I know is that goal-keepers are not allowed to remove their gloves. But I don’t know why this is a rule?
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Diving to try win freekick / penalty. Everyone know it happens. The players admit it. Commentators know it. Fans know it. TV coverage makes it obvious. Refs know it. FIFA knows it. Why is so little done to penalise it or discourage it? It IS against the rules, isn’t it? And even if it isn’t, it’s plain cheating. Why the leniency?
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I’ve often seen a player substituted on with next to no time left - 1 or 2 minuites of play. Ireland did this the other day. What is the point? It seems so absurd.
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I gather there is plenty of popular support for the idea of allowing video replay to help “inform” the ref’s decisions on close call fouls / penalties etc., this already being a part of some sports. Given the fairly obvious benefits re fairness, why are FIFA moving so slowly on this? What are the ‘official’ reservations about this idea?
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I can’t remember if this pertain to England’s chances or Ireland’s, but I remeber people saying "we go through provided the other two teams in the group produce a result either way, whoever wns, just not a draw. How can this be true? Help!
That’s enough questions for now.
All right World Cup fans, I’ve got a question for you: What’s the point of the offside rule? This is more a philosophical question, I know, but it seems to me that the only purpose of the rule is to eliminate breakaways and I cannot see any point in eliminating breakaways.
That’s also the purpose of the centre circle - when a team kicks off at the beginning of a half (or after a goal) the other team must stand at least ten yards away. You might notice little markings up the side and end lines, ten yards away from the corner flags - same purpose.
You may recall an incident at the 1966 World Cup at which the Argentinian captain Antonio Rattin was sent off amid much confusion. He refused to leave the field and had to be gently removed by a policeman. Red and yellow cards were introduced soon afterwards.
Admit it, you don’t like M. Henry do you?
Nope
Force of habit attempt at time-wasting from when time-monitoring was less efficient than it is now. Also the interruption takes momentum out of the opposition’s play.
It’s too near my bedtime to cover the rest just now (and I don’t understand Q7). Hope that helps.
BTW, I for one will be relieved to see the back of the Ingerlund v The Argies match. C’mon Ireland!!!
Good question! Soccer offsides is a lot like hockey offsides – it’s to prevent “goal hanging”.
A player is only called offsides if he has fewer than two opposing players between him and his opponent’s goal when he begins to affect the play. So, if a player were offsides (but not yet called on it, because he were not affecting the play) it would be fine … until, say, someone passed him the ball, because then he would begin to affect the play from an offsides position. On the other hand, a player who receives the ball in an onsides position, and then becomes, in essence, “offsides” because he breaks away from the defence, is not offsides because the play began onsides.
Kind of like “tagging up” in baseball, too.
ianzin -
1 – No
2 – A corner is often better than the alternative (which is, for example, a goal kick, the defence clearing the ball). It’s also a ‘dead ball’ situation, which means, in theory, a specific ‘play’ can be tried. It’s one of those situations when ‘something’ should happen but it all depends on the quality of the execution vs. quality of the ‘counter-measures’.
3 – No idea !
4 – FIFA are supposed to tightening up in this World Cup. I think it’s the way forward from now. Problem is; where’s the line between a blatant dive and an exaggerated tumble (making a valid point, as it were) and how, in the heat of the moment (split second) from a, sometimes, difficult angle, does the referee tell the difference ?
5 – Time wasting
6 – Only offering an opinion – it’s a big step but at a time when the stakes are getting higher and higher, it’s possibly inevitable. One possible issue is, as far, there are no rules/judgements in footie that can’t be applied equally in the World Cup Final and down the park on a Sunday morning – I think.
7 – Group of four, three matches each, one point for a draw, three for a win. It’s a maths thing.
PatrickM – They have tried it – last time was, I think, in an under 19 competition in the Far East. Result: No midfield, just ‘goal hanging’ at both ends and players booting the ball everywhere. The game lost all its shape.
I’m shocked, Everton. How can you possibly say that ! He’s not even one of my least favourite Gooners But, for goodness sake, he was about 10 minutes late and a yard short of ever making a ‘tackle’.
It’s late and I’m sorry if the above doesn’t make too much sense.
Here’s my stab at 7. Let’s say two teams have the same number of points. If they play and tie, they each get 1 point and are still tied. But if there’s a winner of the match, one of the teams will get no points at all. Which may make it easier for another team in the group to pass them.
For instance, in Group E, Cameroon and Germany both have 4 points, and they play each other next. Ireland only has 2 points. If Cameroon and Germany tie, they will both have 5 points, and Ireland will have to win against Saudi Arabia (and get 3 points) and win by more than 1 pt, so they will beat Cameroon in goal difference.
OTOH, if the Cameroon-Germany game has a winner, the winner will have 7 points, and the loser will still have 4. Now Ireland just has to beat Saudi Arabia, and the score doesn’t matter.
I think I did that right, but who knows.
Soccer-phobe (heck, all round sports-phobe) here.
Why are they allowed to tug each other’s shirts??? If I was about to beat someone to the ball and they slowed me down that way, I’d be pretty pissed off. I’d want his hand cut off. Or at least see him penalized in some way. But they just do it and no-one cares.
Why do they perform weird rituals after scoring, notably pulling the shirt up over the face and running. OK, it might have been funny at first, but now everyone does it - aren’t they ashamed at their unoriginality?
I never understood the reason for the offsides rule until you folks described “goal-hanging”. This happens in pick-up basketball games as well and is known as “cherry-picking”. It isn’t against the rules, but it is considered very bad form because you can only cherry-pick if you decided not to play defense against the other team. If someone cherry-picks too much, they don’t get invited to too many more games.
“Of Football Associations”, or “of Association Football?” I always assumed it was Association Football, from which the word “soccer” is derived. Does anyone have a definite answer for this?