The 2026 World Cup is barely into the knockout rounds and already the officiating drama is running hot. Germany is out. Julian Nagelsmann is furious. And now FIFA’s top referee official has stepped in to explain exactly why the call that ended Germany’s tournament was correct.
Let’s rewind. Germany and Paraguay were locked in a tense round of 32 matchup. Late in the second half, Jonathan Tah thought he’d scored the go-ahead goal, a 2-1 lead that would have sent the four-time champions through. But referee Jalal Jayed got a call from the VAR booth and after a quick review, he waved it off. The reason? Waldemar Anton was judged to have fouled Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill in the buildup. The match finished 1-1. Paraguay then won 4-3 on penalties, sending Germany packing in a stunning early exit.
Nagelsmann didn’t hold back
The German manager didn’t mince words after the loss. “In my opinion, this foul was not a real foul. It was actually a joke that his goal was disallowed,” Nagelsmann said. You could feel the frustration. This is a team that came in expecting a deep run and instead got bounced in the round of 32 for the first time in a long time.
But FIFA wasn’t about to let that slide without a response. Pierluigi Collina, the head of FIFA’s refereeing committee, addressed Nagelsmann’s comments directly. And he didn’t leave much room for interpretation.
“Although keeping a position is not a foul per se, when an attacking player is not interested in the ball and deliberately moves, even marginally, with the clear intention of obstructing opponents’ movement and prevents him from defending, then referees, and VAR when needed, should carefully analyse the incident and intervene,” Collina said. He added that this is especially true when the tactic is aimed at stopping the goalkeeper from making a save. “Coaches and players were informed, so it should come as no surprise that referees will punish these fouls.”
What comes next
So FIFA is basically saying: we warned everyone. This isn’t new. They told coaches before the tournament that this kind of pick play in the box would get flagged. Nagelsmann might not like it, but the rulebook is the rulebook.
As for Paraguay, they’ve got a massive test coming. They’ll face France in the round of 16 in Philadelphia on July 4. That’s a World Cup heavyweight. But after knocking out Germany, they’ve got to feel like anything is possible.
The video of the disallowed goal has been circulating on social media, with fans split on whether it was a soft call or a smart piece of VAR intervention. Either way, Germany is done. And the debate over how VAR is being used at this World Cup is just getting started.
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