Wayne Rooney, serving as a BBC Sport World Cup pundit, has voiced his frustration over a VAR decision that disallowed a goal scored by Colombia defender Davinson Sanchez against Portugal — ruling it out because Sanchez's toe was in an offside position.

Rooney was unequivocal in his reaction, calling for the technology to be scrapped altogether. The former England captain argued that marginal calls of this nature undermine the game rather than serve its interests.

The incident has reignited the ongoing debate surrounding VAR and the razor-thin margins that can determine the outcome of matches at the highest level. Sanchez's disallowed goal came during Colombia's clash with Portugal at the World Cup, where even the smallest body part being fractionally beyond the defensive line is enough to overturn a goal.

For Rooney, that level of precision goes against the spirit of football. His call to "get rid of VAR" reflects a sentiment shared by many fans and pundits who believe the technology has stripped the game of spontaneous joy, replacing decisive moments with lengthy video reviews and inconclusive freeze-frames.

The VAR offside debate has become one of the most contentious issues in world football, and incidents like this one — where a toe, rather than a meaningful part of the body, decides a goal's validity — continue to fuel calls for reform or outright removal of the system.