Thomas Tuchel has already defined why he refused to sing nationwide anthem earlier than sport
Thomas Tuchel took charge of England for the first time in their 2-1 win over Albania at Wembley on Friday night, but did not sing the national anthem before the game
Thomas Tuchel kept quiet during the national anthem before his debut match against Albania on Friday.
The German tactician reckons he’s got to “earn the right” to belt out God Save The King at Wembley.
Since taking over the reins as the third foreign manager of the Three Lions, following in the footsteps of Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, Tuchel has faced repeated questions about whether he’ll join in national anthem.
The ex-Chelsea chief has hinted he might give voice to the anthem down the line once he’s more settled into his role. At his latest press briefing, he stressed the need to integrate with the squad before he can consider himself a “proper English guy”.
“I think, first of all, you have a very powerful, emotional and meaningful national anthem and I could not be more proud to be on the sidelines and be in charge of the English national team,” Tuchel expressed.
“It means everything. It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel because it is that meaningful and it is that emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it.
“I feel that it is not just a given. You cannot just sing it. That’s why I decided that I will not sing it in my first matches,” reports the Mirror.
Lee Carsley, who took the reins as interim manager of England after Gareth Southgate stepped down, has been in the spotlight for not belting out the national anthem.
Despite being born on English soil, Carsley donned the jersey for the Republic of Ireland during his playing days.
He’s opened up about his choice to stay silent during anthems, attributing it to a fear of getting distracted and preferring to concentrate on the game’s opening moves – a habit that’s stuck with him into his coaching career.
Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel has faced flak for the number of matches he’s attended at stadiums while living in Germany and jetting back and forth to England for work.
Tuchel hit back, insisting he’s seen more games than folks reckon – pointing out that watching in person can actually mean catching fewer matches.
“I was at 25 matches in the last nine weeks,” Tuchel claimed. “Maybe I could have gone to 28, but… on the Premier League weekends where I don’t go, I watch a minimum of five matches live on a wide-angle screen.”
