A proposal to change the symbol for football grounds on British road signs on the basis of implausible geometry was rejected by the Department of Transport on Wednesday.
Mathematician Matt Parker drafted a petition through the UK Government and Parliament website in early October with the goal of changing the symbol, which depicts a football composed entirely of white and dark hexagons.
As Parker explained in the petition, "it is mathematically impossible to construct a ball using only hexagons." His goal was to have the symbol changed to a pattern of pentagons and hexagons in order to "help raise public awareness and appreciation of geometry."
Any proposal that gains 10,000 signatures will receive a response from the government, according to the online petition process, and one that reaches 100,000 will be considered for debate in parliament.
That response was issued on Wednesday, with the Department of Transport deciding that "the current football symbol has a clear meaning and is understood by the public" and changing the design of the symbol is not appropriate.
"If the correct geometry were put onto a sign, it would only be visible close up and not from the distance at which drivers will see the sign," the response read.
Additionally, the Department of Transport cited concerns about local funding in changing the signs, noting in the response that local governments "could not justify the spending needed as an exercise to increase public awareness and appreciation of geometry."
Parker responded to the government's statement on Twitter, expressing hope that the public would help him reach the 100,000 signatures needed for debate.
The petition, which will remain active until April 6, 2018, had gained nearly 20,000 signatures by midday UK time on Wednesday.