Klopp blasts VAR over Germany's disallowed goal against Paraguay

Former Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp has criticised the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision to disallow Jonathan Tah’s goal during Germany’s defeat to Paraguay.

On June 29, 2026, four-time champions Germany were eliminated after a 1-1 draw in regulation time, losing 4-3 on penalties. Julio Enciso’s opener was canceled out by Kai Havertz, but Paraguay prevailed in the shootout.

During extra time, Tah rose unmarked at the back post and powered a header past Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill but the goal was reviewed and disallowed.

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Officials judged that Germany’s Waldemar Anton had impeded Gill, who fell to the turf before attempting to make the save from Tah’s header.

Klopp rejected the decision, insisting it was unfair for Die Mannschaft to be denied such a clear goal, arguing that the incident was not significant enough to warrant cancellation.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund manager pointed to similar goals scored by Premier League champions Arsenal during the 2025/26 season, claiming they would not have won the title if such goals had been disallowed.

"If the goal is illegal, then Arsenal won’t be English champions. They’ve scored 60% of their goals that way. We [Germany] win the game when the ball goes in. So, of course, this is brutal," Klopp told MagentaTV.

Germany’s exit adds to their recent struggles, as their campaigns have been poor since winning the title in 2014. They suffered two group-stage eliminations before being knocked out in the Round of 32 in the expanded 2026 World Cup.

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