Gareth Southgate has opened up about his decision to avoid television punditry during the World Cup, citing concerns that his presence could negatively impact the England national team. The former England manager, who led the Three Lions in four major tournaments, stepped down after the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Conscious Decision to Stay Away
Speaking on Instagram, the 55-year-old explained: "This is obviously a very different tournament for me this one, I have been at the last seven World Cups as a player, as a broadcaster, as a scout and then as a manager. This time I took a conscious decision not to do the TV. I didn't think it would be helpful for me to be talking about the team."
He added: "I don't want anything to be misconstrued or thrown at them in press conferences. So, best for me to keep out of the way."
Supporting the Current Squad
Southgate, who has been succeeded by Thomas Tuchel, expressed confidence in the current squad. "I want to take a moment to say good luck to all the boys. All the knockout nights they've had means they are going to be full of confidence going into the tournament. They have overcome so many hurdles to winning, penalty shootouts, semi-finals, we got so close and they are ready to win. I am looking forward to watching. I hope everybody has a great one and I will be staying out of the way."
Under Southgate, England reached the finals of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, as well as semi-final and quarter-final finishes in World Cup campaigns. He now backs Tuchel's men to succeed in their Group L opener against Croatia.
