“It means everything” - England boss Thomas Tuchel makes stance clear when asked if he will sing ‘God Save The King’ anthem in debut game
Thomas Tuchel has stated that he will sing the England national anthem, but only after he earns the right. The German tactician will take charge of his first matches with the Three Lions this month.
The former Chelsea manager was appointed as the England national team manager in October 2024, but officially began his duties on January 1.
Speaking to the media after announcing his first national team squad, Tuchel said he knows all the words to 'God Save The King' but won't sing it at kickoff of the upcoming matches. He wants to earn the right by winning matches and helping the players develop. He said (via SPORTbible):
"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. But I can feel because it is that meaningful and it is that emotional and it is so powerful 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 the right with results, with building a group, with doing my job properly and by creating a feeling where maybe even you guys [in the media] say at some point: ‘Now it’s time that you sing it. It feels like you properly earn it and you’re a proper English guy now!’ 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 English manager, he should sing it.’"
England face Albania at Wembley on Friday, March 21, in a FIFA World Cup qualifier before taking on Latvia at the same venue on Monday, March 24.
Thomas Tuchel names his squad for World Cup qualifiers
Thomas Tuchel has named four goalkeepers in his first England squad as the new manager. The German tactician has called up three players from his former club Chelsea. Harry Kane, who Tuchel managed at Bayern Munich, is also in the squad.
The England squad in full:
Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, James Trafford, Dan Burn, Levi Colwill, Marc Guéhi, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento, Jarell Quansah, Kyle Walker, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, and Dominic Solanke.
Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Bayern Munich in 2024 after a poor run of results, although the Bavarians later tried to bring him back, as per reports. The current England manager was sacked in 2022 by Chelsea in a surprise move by the new owners.
