The football season has only just started and I’m already frustrated with offside debates - Yorkshire Post Letters

We are now well into the new football season and I am frustrated with the inevitable debate and controversies which arise over the application of the offside rule, even with the benefit of VAR.

How many times have brilliant goals been ruled out by the length of a fingernail or another part of the anatomy. The existence of this rule is ludicrous and farcical and it should be abolished completely. This would remove countless arguments especially at grassroots level where they do not have the supposed benefit of technology. I am sure that spectators and viewers would prefer to see goals awarded rather than ruled out and would enable the game to run more smoothly.

I speak from many years experience as a player and umpire in field hockey. The governing body of hockey, FIH, tinkered with the offside rule on several occasions and The Hockey Rules Board eventually removed it completely in 1998.

There was inevitably some debate on this approach but teams adapted their tactics and playing strategies accordingly and enabled players and officials to concentrate on other on-field matters.

I am surprised that there does not seem to be any debate on whether football should adopt a similar approach to field hockey. I guess our TV pundits would have less to talk about!