Stop Bitching About VAR, Start Bitching About The Offside Law

I’ve just finished watching Brighton’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth and it’s about time I threw my two cents in on the whole VAR debate.

VAR is great. It works just fine in places like the Bundesliga and Major League Soccer so I don’t really understand the stick it gets here.

For me, the real issue is the present offside law.

I’ve just witnessed Dan Burn cruelly denied a wonderful first goal for Brighton. His touch to bring it out of the air behind him and into a position where he could just stroke it home was sublime. Had it stood, it surely would have been a contender for goal of the month on Match of the Day.

But no. Because several phases of play beforehand, the tip of Dan’s elbow was in an offside position.

I mean, really? What the f*ck?

Back in the good old days there used to have to be “daylight” between the attacker and defender for it to be considered offside.

Nowadays, the shadow from the hair off your arse seems to be all that is required.

It’s an absolute joke.

Yet people are blaming VAR for it.

It’s not VAR’s fault that they have to enforce stupid rules cast down from on high.

Yes, decisions are taking too long but if you’ve been told you have to work with millimetres then you’re going to take your time.

The issue is that the offside rule is bullsh*t.

It’s the rule that stiffles play and results in perfectly wonderful goals being ruled out.

Later, in the same game, Brighton’s Glenn Murray found himself one on one with Ramsdale in the Bournemouth goal and, despite the angle, forced a decent save and won the corner.

Now, the replay showed that Murray was a good yard offside when the ball was played to him, but the assistant referee missed it (how? I’ve no idea).

What genuinely interests me is, had Brighton scored from that set piece, would VAR have intervened to rule it out owing to the offside in that phase of play.

I don’t know, myself. If someone does know and can educate me, please do.

I would think/hope so because that decision would have proven instrumental in the goal being scored. But I have my doubts.

So, in short, let’s lay off VAR for a bit and lay in to Fifa or whoever sets these stupid rules.

And while I’m on my high horse about VAR, can players PLEASE stop chasing after the referee if they think they’ve got a shout for a penalty. VAR reviews it all anyway, regardless of whether you’re screaming your head off at the man in black so just cut it out please. You look like a knob head.

As a BT Sports commentator once said, VAR works fine. We just have to do whatever the Germans are doing.