Claims DW reported petition to ban African, Muslim players from Germany's team after World Cup exit are false

The post in English, shared from Equatorial Guinea, reads: “According to Deutsche Welle, after Jonathan Tah missed the penalty that ultimately sealed Germany's elimination, a group of fans began collecting signatures to demand that African and Muslim players no longer be allowed to represent the German national team.” 

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Screenshot of the false post, taken on July 9, 2027 

“The initiative, driven by far-right groups, has sparked widespread controversy on social media and reignited the debate over racism and discrimination in German football,” it adds.

The post also features photos of German defender Jonathan Tah and an image of the German flag.

Similar claims were shared on Facebook elsewhere in Africa.

Germany’s elimination 

Germany exited the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 29 after losing 4–3 on penalties to Paraguay following a 1–1 draw after extra time (archived here). 

Tah missed the decisive spot kick, sending Paraguay through to the next round. The defeat marked Germany's first loss in a World Cup penalty shootout after winning all four previous ones since 1982 (archived here and here).

Tah, who has African heritage, was subjected to racist abuse on social media after the game. The abuse echoes similar treatment of black Dutch players, including Quinten Timber, Justin Kluivert and Crysencio Summerville, after the Netherlands’ shootout loss to Morocco (archived here and here). 

However, the alleged DW report is a fabrication. 

No record 

AFP Fact Check found no record of the purported report on a petition against African and Muslim players on DW’s website or its other official channels of communication. 

Instead, the broadcaster dismissed the claim. 

“No, DW has not reported on such a petition,” Joscha Weber, head of fact-checking at DW, told AFP Fact Check.

He also confirmed that the outlet has never reported on a similar debate, petition, or demand regarding Tah or the German national team.

DW also published an article debunking the claims (archived here). 

Additionally, AFP Fact Check found no evidence of the purported online petition calling for African or Muslim players to be banned from Germany’s national football team.