Thomas Tuchel has expressed his disappointment after Ben White was booed by sections of the Wembley crowd during his return to the England side in a 1-1 draw with Uruguay. The defender, making his first appearance since leaving the 2022 World Cup early, was jeered when introduced as a substitute in the 69th minute. Tuchel said: 'I heard that he was booed. It cannot be the majority. There were some boos and some mixed reception for him which I'm disappointed about.'
White's evening was a mixed bag: he scored what looked like a winning goal but later conceded a stoppage-time penalty, which Fede Valverde converted to level the match. Tuchel defended his player, adding: 'He was excellent in camp and he deserved to come on. He got us almost a winner.'
The England head coach also criticised the performance of German referee Sven Jablonski, particularly for failing to penalise Uruguay's Ronald Araújo for a dangerous tackle on Phil Foden. Tuchel was further angered when VAR recommended a penalty check against White, which he deemed 'very soft'. He said: 'There's contact but it's so obvious what the striker is trying to do. The referee saw it and it was not enough for him.'
Injuries also marred the evening, with Noni Madueke leaving the stadium in a leg brace after a first-half knock. There was confusion over Uruguay's Manuel Ugarte, who appeared to receive two yellow cards but was not sent off; it later emerged the first booking was actually shown to José María Giménez.
