According to Patrick Bamford, he intentionally pushed the ball into the net with his elbow during Leeds United’s match against Rotherham United.
The 30-year-old revealed that he tapped his elbow to celebrate the goal and that the Millers’ players were “going mental” when he turned to face the box during the Whites’ 3-0 victory on February 10 in an interview with the BBC’s My Mate’s A Footballer podcast on Thursday, March 21.
The English attacker said that he informed the referee the ball hadn’t touched his hand and didn’t admit that it had come off his elbow when the official questioned him about whether the ball had touched his hand before the game had resumed.
Bamford recalled thinking at the time, “I’m just going to nuzzle it with my elbow because it’s really close to me, but I can’t quite get it with my body.”
“That’s really subtle, everyone will think I just let it out,” I reasoned. I attempted to make myself appear normal as I raced off. Their guys are going crazy when they look back. The goal is handed to the ref. I foolishly performed a celebration in which I tapped my
Did you handball it? inquired one of their players as we were making our way back to the center circle. Yes, I replied. The referee asked, “Did it touch your hand?” just before the fight started up again. I answered, “No, it didn’t touch my hand,” but to be fair, it touched my elbow instead of my hand.
Patrick Bamford’s appearance during the Leeds United situation is not ideal.
Bamford didn’t have the best image at the time, and by talking about it, he most likely worsened people’s perceptions of him.
Ultimately, it amounts to cheating, and nobody enjoys witnessing such behavior during a game, particularly since the score was tied at the time.
The Rotherham players were understandably furious over the event, even if there’s a fair probability the Whites would have won the game handily.
The forward, who generally splits fan opinions, has been involved in contentious situations before.
However, he’s been winning a lot of praise at Elland Road in the second part of the season as his improved play has given Daniel Farke’s team a strong chance to get promoted this year.
