Thomas Tuchel to sing national anthem if England reach World Cup final
Thomas Tuchel has declared that he will sing England’s national anthem if the Three Lions progress to the World Cup final, acknowledging that he still feels too “shy” to join in at this early stage of the tournament, reports BritPanorama.
As England gears up for their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas, Tuchel suggested that supporters might finally hear him join in if his side reaches the showpiece match on July 19. He stated, “Not yet. I think we are not there yet,” when asked if he would sing the anthem before England’s opening Group L fixture.
Touching on his reluctance to sing, Tuchel added, “At the very end maybe. I am still a bit shy. I don’t want to offend people and don’t want to have the focus on that now.” When probed about whether he knew the words of the anthem, the 52-year-old laughed and remarked, “It’s not so difficult.”
Tuchel’s remarks come as thousands of England supporters descend on Texas ahead of the team’s first match of the tournament. The highly anticipated clash will take place at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where England seeks to make a positive start against a Croatia side they notably lost to in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach has expressed his admiration for English football and aims to instill a more physical, aggressive playing style since succeeding Gareth Southgate as manager. Nevertheless, he has yet to publicly sing “God Save The King.” Sven-Goran Eriksson, a past England manager, sometimes appeared to sing parts of the anthem, while Fabio Capello remained silent throughout his tenure.
England concluded their training at their Kansas City base before travelling to Dallas and received a police escort from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to their hotel, the Adolphus, which will serve as their base during the competition.
However, Tuchel’s preparations faced disruption when Newcastle defender Tino Livramento was ruled out of the tournament due to a calf injury sustained in training, leading to Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah being called up as his replacement.
Addressing Livramento’s situation, Tuchel expressed disappointment, stating, “Tino was of course very disappointed and very sad. All of us were.” He explained the decision to bring in Chalobah as a necessary measure to maintain squad depth ahead of their competition.
With Tuchel encouraging his squad to “go for it” as they pursue England’s first major trophy in 60 years, the excitement builds for their opening match. The atmosphere is charged with anticipation, a vibrant testament to England’s quest for glory on the global stage.
