Thomas Tuchel did not sing along to the English national anthem before his first game as coach of England on Friday.
The German, whose appointment was greeted with outrage in some sections of the English media, said last week he had to “earn” the right to sing “God Save the King.” And before the World Cup qualifier against Albania at Wembley, he stayed silent while the anthem was played.
“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,” he said.
Tuchel is the third foreign coach to take charge of England after the late Sven-Goran Eriksson, a Swede, and Fabio Capello, an Italian.
But there was still criticism last October when it emerged that Tuchel, a former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach would succeed Gareth Southgate.
Tuchel is aiming to end England’s decades-long wait to win a major tournament, a drought that dates to the 1966 World Cup.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
