It seems like there's nothing VAR can do to redeem itself to the football-loving public.
It rears its head when you least desire to extinguish any fleeting flame of hope and joy you may have.
Already this season, we've seen Jordan Henderson's winner in the Merseyside derby chalked off by the most minuscule of margins. An in-depth knowledge of geometry and where arms start is a prerequisite to refereeing nowadays, particularly when it comes to the offside law.
Now, Ireland's Leeds' striker Patrick Bamford has felt the full extent of the farcical law.
Strikers can't even risk pointing to where they want the ball now 🤦♂️ #CRYLEE pic.twitter.com/f39IZFH3yV
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) November 7, 2020
By pointing where he wants the through ball from Mateusz Klich, Bamford was adjudged to be offside from the bottom of his sleeve.
Not from a body part that he could feasibly use to score a goal, his SLEEVE.
Although this is the new offside rule, it is just baffling when it comes into play.
The decision has caused widespread consternation.
That’s another ridiculous VAR offside decision to disallow Bamford’s goal. I actually loathe the way it’s being implemented.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) November 7, 2020
Honestly, either bin VAR or change the offside rule. What advantage is Bamford getting by the sleeve of his shirt on his pointing arm being about .5mm offside? pic.twitter.com/AGnQkKiaiX
— Ste Hoare (@stehoare) November 7, 2020
"That is the worst ever in the history of football!"@RobbieSavage8 is not happy about Patrick Bamford's disallowed goal 😠#BTSportScore pic.twitter.com/lHV6uz5JTt
— BT Sport Score (@btsportscore) November 7, 2020
Patrick Bamford himself was befuddled by the decision, saying that the rule is "ruining football".
😡 "I don't understand the rule, you can't score with your arm."
😡 "It's ruining football."
Patrick Bamford doesn't understand why his goal was ruled out against Crystal Palace for offside.
📲 Watch #FinalScore: https://t.co/500klMzKlE #bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/Ikhotl0jnU
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) November 7, 2020
Bamford's disallowed strike could have been Leeds' equaliser, having gone behind through a Scott Dann goal. However, Crystal Palace then made it 2-0 through Eberechi Eze on 22 minutes.
Bamford did get some retribution, scoring a lovely volley to make it 2-1. Nevertheless, Palace extended their lead through a Helder Costa OG and a Jordan Ayew goal to make it 4-1.
