England Coach Upset With Photographers For Blocking View During National Anthem: 'Begging FIFA To Change...'

Published 18 June 2026 · sports

England Coach Upset With Photographers For Blocking View During Anthem: 'Begging FIFA To Change...' Published By, Last Updated: June 18, 2026, 18:27 IST England beat

England Coach Upset With Photographers For Blocking View During Anthem: 'Begging FIFA To Change...' Published By, Last Updated: June 18, 2026, 18:27 IST England beat Croatia 4-2 in Group L in Dallas, Harry Kane scored twice, but England manager Thomas Tuchel complained photographers blocked his view during the national anthem Rapid Read FIFA World Cup: England manager Thomas Tuchel (AP) England manager Thomas Tuchel enjoyed a winning start to his FIFA World Cup campaign as the Three Lions defeated Croatia 4-2 in an entertaining Group L encounter in Dallas on Wednesday. Despite the positive result, the German coach admitted that one aspect of the occasion left him frustrated before the match had even begun. Tuchel revealed that photographers positioned near the touchline obstructed his view during the national anthem, preventing him from watching his players during what he described as a significant personal moment. “I’m begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers, because I could not see my team during the national anthem, and I was waiting for this moment," Tuchel said after England beat Croatia 4-2 on Wednesday.

As “God Save the King" played, Tuchel was seen gesturing towards the photographers in an attempt to clear his sightline. When that failed, he and members of his coaching staff looked up at the giant stadium screen to watch the players instead. “It was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of 50 photographers half a metre away and I could not see one single player," Tuchel said. “It ruined a little bit my experience today." Tuchel Happy With England Win On the pitch, England eventually overcame a nervy first-half display. Harry Kane twice put England ahead, but goals from Martin Baturina and Petar Musa ensured Croatia went into the break level. England found greater control after half-time, with Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford adding further goals to seal the victory in FIFA World Cup. “I loved the second half, all of it," Tuchel said. “I loved the reaction to a very complicated first half against top opponents.

“I think we showed a bit of nerves, maybe we wanted to overdo it, but we clearly overthought our decisions; it took us too long to make decisions. When we could play short we played long, and when we could play long we played short. “We spent way too much time in a low block, which is also not our identity and not what we wanted. The leads, both leads, didn’t make us more free. I had the impression we felt we had to protect something, and we were punished for it, which is psychologically not easy. But I loved the reaction after half-time." While satisfied with the result, Tuchel stressed that improvement is still required. “There’s still things to improve," said Tuchel. “I think this is also quite normal. “After a first match, you need to grow into a tournament. We got a tough draw in the tournament, so the positives are clearly the ones we will focus on now.