Thomas Tuchel did not sing God Save The King ahead of his first match as England manager. The German explained last week that he would not take part in the national anthem until he had ‘earned the right’ to do so.
Some fans questioned the Football Association’s decision to appoint a non-English coach as Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor. Tuchel is known to be a passionate anglophile who has previously admitted that he feels more appreciated in England than he does in his native Germany.
However, Tuchel insisted that he would not sing God Save The King – at least for his first few matches in charge.
He said earlier in the week: “I have made my decision. 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 sideline and be in charge of the English national team.
“It means everything. It means a lot to me, I can assure you. But I can feel it 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.
“I will earn it with results, with building a group, with doing my job properly and by creating a feeling where maybe even you guys say at some point ‘Now it’s time that you sing it, it feels like you need to properly earn it and you’re a proper English guy now!’
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