text: what is "passive" offsides?"? i saw this in the argentina vs. ivory coast game. 2 men clearly offside but the play was not stopped. it is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position.  a player in an offside position is only penalised if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team, he is, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by: - interfering with play or - interfering with an opponent or - gaining an advantage by being in that position