FIFA World Cup 2026: Germany's World Cup exit in Round of 32 a "disgrace", says Jurgen Klinsmann
Boston, June 30
Former Germany Jurgen Klinsmann has described the country's FIFA World Cup 2026 exit at the hands of Paraguay as "devastating" and a "disgrace," and called for a thorough review of the German Football Association, Goal.com said citing the former footballer's comments to ESPN.
Four-time World Cup champions suffered their first-ever FIFA World Cup elimination in a penalty shootout. In the match against Paraguay, scores were level at 1-1 heading into the extra time, and Germany thought they had secured a place in the Round of 16 when Jonathan Tah headed home from a corner in the 101st minute of extra time.
However, following a VAR review, referee Jalal Jayed disallowed the goal after ruling that Germany defender Waldemar Anton had impeded Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill in the build-up. The match went to penalties, where Paraguay came out on top 5-3, continuing Germany's woes at the big tournaments after the 2014 FIFA World Cup win.
Speaking with ESPN, as per Goal.com, Klinsmann, the 1990 World Cup winner, strongly criticised Germany after their penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay, warning that German football is in crisis. He said the result highlighted deeper issues within the national team setup and the DFB, and added that everyone involved from the coaching staff to the federation should be questioned.
"The way we were eliminated tonight is devastating, a disgrace, something no one, absolutely no one, expected. The responsibility lies with everyone - from the coaching staff to the federation to every single player who was called up to this 26-man squad. Everyone contributed to this disaster. Everything, from top to bottom, must be questioned and discussed. Of course, there will be consequences, whatever those consequences may be," he said, according to the Goal.com report.
Klinsmann also raised concerns over Germany's preparation for the knockout match, saying the team did not show the level of intensity needed to sustain a 120-minute contest against Paraguay.
"And the way we were knocked out is a huge disappointment. The team wasn't prepared to take control for 120 minutes. They lacked energy, weren't decisive or aggressive enough to take on a very strong Paraguayan team," he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The VAR decision seems controversial - disallowing a goal for "impeding the goalkeeper"? That's football these days, I guess. But Germany's decline has been coming since 2014. They need a Desi-style "ghar wapsi" to basics - youth development and tactical clarity.
Klinsmann should look at himself too - he was part of German football's system for years. Blaming "everyone from top to bottom" sounds like a politician dodging responsibility 😅. But seriously, India can learn from this: even great teams face crises; it's how you rebuild that matters.
As someone who watches European football regularly, this is a shock but not entirely unexpected. Germany's squad lacks the killer instinct of the Müller/Schweinsteiger era. Meanwhile, Paraguay played like their lives depended on it - hats off to them.
Klinsmann calling it a "disgrace"? Give me a break. It's sport - sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Germany has 4 World Cups! Imagine if India faced such "crisis" after one bad tournament - we'd be celebrating just making it to the World Cup! 🙄
Respect to Klinsmann for speaking his mind, but this feels like a classic "too much pressure" situation. Germany needs to chill and rebuild like India's cricket team did after 2007 World Cup exit - give young players a chance, trust the process. No need for drama 😎
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