Ilkay Gundogan calls out the World Cup VAR decision as ‘really disappointing’ and says it wouldn’t have been allowed in the Premier League.
Former Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan has strongly criticized VAR after it disallowed a crucial goal by Jonathon Tah, which eventually led to a penalty shootout that knocked Germany out of the tournament. Germany’s trip to the USA ended on a disappointing note with a surprise Round of 32 loss to Paraguay.
Paraguay took advantage of Germany’s shaky defense and pushed the match to penalties after Germany fought back. Even though Germany missed two chances in the shootout, it was ultimately decided when Jonathan Tah missed his penalty and Paraguay’s Jose Canale scored the winner.
But all of this might have been avoided if Tah’s goal in extra time had counted. In the 102nd minute, Tah scored with a powerful header from a corner kick, which looked like it would send Germany to the Round of 16. However, VAR stepped in, and the referee ruled that the Paraguayan goalkeeper was fouled enough by Waldemar Anton to stop the goal.
The decision sparked criticism, including from BBC expert Alan Shearer. Gundogan also took to social media to say that Premier League teams have been using similar tactics all season without punishment, calling the decision “brutally disappointing” and unfair.
In a post after Germany’s loss, Gundogan expressed his frustration with VAR at the World Cup. “Our team’s performance doesn’t need hiding… but what was that VAR decision?” he asked. “In the Premier League, they’d just smile and move on, especially when a decision is reversed. Of course, we’re very disappointed, and we didn’t convince enough over 120 minutes.”
Gundogan, who has played 82 times for Germany, wasn’t alone in disagreeing with the call. Jurgen Klopp also shared similar views, pointing out that Arsenal frequently use this kind of play to score in the Premier League. “If that’s a disallowed goal, Arsenal wouldn’t be champions,” Klopp reportedly said on German TV. “They score around 60% of their goals like that.”
While these “blockers” are common in the Premier League, FIFA recently introduced tighter rules on grappling and contact during set-pieces like corners, which England had prepared for.
Still, Shearer was clearly unhappy with the decision, and his opinion might carry more weight than the German players’ protests. “Anton gave a small nudge, and the referee had to decide if that was enough to block the keeper,” Shearer said on BBC. “VAR agreed, but I don’t. The keeper knew he’d been touched and went down too easily.”
“It’s a contact sport with many players in the six-yard box. The keeper knew he was touched and sold it. Not for me. Very soft decision. I don’t blame Nagelsmann’s yellow card either. I’m really surprised.”
Paraguay got lucky with the VAR call, but sometimes fortune smiles on the brave.