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Jürgen Klopp was incensed by the decision to disallow Jonathan Tah's goal in the closing moments of Germany's World Cup loss to Paraguay, with his Liverpool loyalties on full display as he took a swipe at Arsenal in the aftermath.
Tah believed he had put Germany ahead with a header in extra-time of their round of 32 exit on Monday, but VAR stepped in to overturn the goal after his teammate Waldemar Anton was judged to have impeded Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who quite visibly went to ground with very little physical provocation.
"If that goal is illegal, then Arsenal won't be English champions," Klopp raged during an appearance on Magenta TV. "They scored 60% of their goals in exactly that manner."
The 'Anti-Arsenal' Rule That Cost Germany
Followers of English soccer will be well acquainted with the ongoing debate around excessive physicality inside the penalty box.
Arsenal were among several clubs that pushed the boundaries during the 2025–26 Premier League season, screening off defenders to improve their chances of converting set-pieces. They were hardly alone in doing so, but became the face of the controversy on their way to claiming the title with a record-breaking 19 goals from corner kicks.
England's own deployment of such tactics drew direct criticism from FIFA's refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina, who pointed to a goal by Three Lions defender Ben White—an Arsenal player, as it happens—during a March friendly as he announced a new set of regulations to be enforced at the World Cup.
The updated rules state that any player found to be deliberately screening an opponent without a genuine attempt to play the ball would face punishment. This was swiftly labeled an 'Anti-Arsenal' rule by supporters across social media.
Footage of the Tah goal showed Anton clearly positioning himself in front of the Paraguayan goalkeeper, and while the contact was slight and its effect on Gill's movement was debatable, officials determined that his act of screening the goalkeeper was deliberate and therefore in breach of the new regulations.
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Will the New Rules Apply in the Premier League?
FIFA's revised regulations for this summer's World Cup do not automatically extend to the Premier League, though English football's governing body has already taken steps to address the issue of deliberate obstruction.
SI answers is our AI answer engine trained on human-created content.
Ahead of the World Cup's kick-off, the Premier League confirmed a strengthened push to penalize unfair blocking would be introduced in the 2026–27 season, with players who screen opponents without any attempt to contest the ball set to face consequences.
Exactly how rigorously these rules will be enforced remains unclear. Officials were careful to emphasize that "not every contact is a foul" in a bid to preserve the physical nature the Premier League is renowned for, but there will be a sharper focus on the intentions of those found to be testing the boundaries of the regulations.