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England manager Thomas Tuchel, who named the 26-man squad for this month’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers, remarked that he wants to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem. After getting the opportunity to name the England squad for the first-time as manager, the 51-year-old stated that he won’t be singing “God Save the King” before his team takes on Albania and Latvia on March 21 and March 24 respectively.
Notably, Thomas Tuchel assumed charge of England men’s football team on January 1, and following his appointment in the job last year, he told the press about not deciding whether to sing the national anthem or not. And now, with just under a week away from managing England for the first-time on the touchline, he has made the decision to not sing the national anthem for the time being.
I feel that it is not just a given. You cannot just sing it: Thomas Tuchel on England's national anthem
In his recent appearance in front of the press, Thomas Tuchel addressed the matter, and said, as per BBC Sport, “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 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 sidelines 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 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,” Thomas Tuchel added. His predecessor Lee Carsley was heavily criticised for not singing the national anthem of England while being in charge of the team on an interim basis.
Below is the England squad for games against Albania and Latvia:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, James Trafford
Defenders: Dan Burn, Levi Colwill, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento, Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Kyle Walker
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Dominic Solanke
