Thomas Tuchel: I must earn the right to sing England’s national anthem
Thomas Tuchel has revealed that he will not sing the national anthem before his first matches as England head coach, claiming he must first earn the right to do so.
The Football Association made Tuchel the third foreign head coach of the England team, following Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, and the German has named his first squad for the World Cup qualifying games against Albania and Latvia at Wembley.
Interim manager Lee Carsley opted not to sing the national anthem, having played for the Republic of Ireland, and Tuchel has made his decision on the controversial subject. England entertain Albania next Friday night before hosting Latvia three days later.
“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,” said Tuchel. “It means everything.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you. But I 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.”
Asked how he could earn the right to sing the national anthem, Tuchel, who has been hired by the FA to win the 2026 World Cup, replied: “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 properly earned it and you’re a proper English guy now!’”
Tuchel said he had learnt the words to the national anthem, insisting “they’re not hard”, and added: “Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the England manager, he should sing it.”
Tuchel last month met Prince William, who is an avid Aston Villa supporter, at Windsor Castle, but the subject of the national anthem did not come up between the pair.
The Prince has given Tuchel his royal seal of approval, telling TheSun that he is “exactly the right person”, and the England head coach responded by saying: “It makes me very proud.
“I met His Royal Highness once during a match and then we had another meeting in Windsor Castle, and it was just nothing but impressive. The way he speaks and how emotionally he supports Aston Villa, and, of course, the national team is just so impressive.”
Tuchel has called up three Villa players – Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers and on-loan Marcus Rashford – into his squad and he added: “It was so nice to speak with him [Prince William] about football. He has a strong opinion. It means a lot and it’s just something very, very special that comes with the role. It’s an honour and a privilege, and it comes with a big responsibility.”
In reference to Prince William’s allegiance to Villa, Tuchel joked: “He was pushing hard for the Aston Villa players, which was not needed because we admire them a lot and we admire what is happening there in the club.”
In the interview with TheSun, Prince William offered his opinion on Tuchel and the FA’s decision to appoint a foreign England head coach by saying: “I understand the debate around having an English manager. But, to me, it should be the best person for the job – and Thomas is exactly the right person. Without doubt he is one of the top five managers in the world.
“It would be amazing if he could win the World Cup next year. It’s gearing up to that and it’s definitely possible.”
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