Ex-Match of the Day host Gary Lineker kicks off at TV change he fumes is 'driving me crazy'

Gary Lineker claims the growing power of referees in football - both on and off the pitch - is driving him mad.

The ex-Match of the Day frontman launched a fierce attack on what he describes as the "refereecation" of the sport, pointing to their heavy involvement in VAR decisions and their expanding presence in the media.

Lineker voiced his frustration while discussing Eberechi Eze's controversially chalked-off goal for Crystal Palace against Chelsea on Sunday. Eze thought he had put Palace ahead after just 13 minutes when he smashed a free-kick into the net from just outside the box.

But referee Darren England, after being urged by VAR to re-examine the incident on the pitch-side screen, ruled that Palace skipper Marc Guehi had been standing too close to Chelsea's wall while tussling with Moises Caicedo. Regulations stipulate that players aren't allowed within one metre of their opponent's wall when a free-kick is taken, though the law is inconsistently enforced.

On The Rest Is Football, Lineker said: "That rule was brought in, in 2019. I do not understand why. Let me call it the 'refereecation' of football. It seems like referees have taken over the game.

"Obviously, they're important; they play a really important role on the pitch. Now they play an important role off the pitch in terms of VAR, which is way more than we were promised at the start.

"Also, they define the laws, and that never used to be the case. In recent years, that's what's happened. Now there's a law for everything."

Lineker, who remarkably was never cautioned or dismissed throughout his career, also blasted the increasing use of former officials as pundits on live broadcasts.

Having reduced his broadcasting commitments since last season ended, the former BBC presenter added: "Even in co-commentary now, every time there's a foul, we hear a referee chirp up to tell that someone's just pushed someone, which we've just seen for ourselves.

"It's driving me crazy. I always got on with referees, I never got booked, but I feel like I'd love to get booked now. It's driving me mad, they're almost in control of our game. Rant over, sorry!"

Explaining why Eze's effort had been voided, referee England told the crowd inside Stamford Bridge: "After review, away number six (Guehi) is less than one metre away from the wall as the shot is taken. Therefore, it's an indirect free kick and a disallowed goal'."

The official law reads: "Where three or more defending team players form a 'wall', all attacking team players must remain at least 1m from the 'wall' until the ball is in play.

"If, when a free-kick is taken, an attacking team player is less than 1m (1yd) from a 'wall' formed by three or more defending team players, an indirect free-kick is awarded."

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