Thomas Tuchel expressed disappointment after England fans booed Ben White during the 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley. The defender, making his first appearance since leaving the 2022 World Cup early, was jeered when substituted on in the 69th minute. White then scored but conceded a stoppage-time penalty, leading to Uruguay's equaliser.
Tuchel defended White, saying: '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 because of course we protect our players.' He added that White had been excellent in camp and deserved his chance.
The England head coach also criticised German referee Sven Jablonski for failing to penalise Ronald Araújo for a dangerous tackle on Phil Foden, while later awarding Uruguay a soft penalty after VAR intervention. 'It’s a very soft penalty,' Tuchel said. 'There’s contact but it’s so obvious what the striker is trying to do.'
Noni Madueke left the stadium in a leg brace after a first-half injury, a potential blow for Arsenal. There was also confusion over Uruguay's Manuel Ugarte, who appeared to receive two yellow cards but was not sent off; it was later clarified the first booking was actually shown to José María Giménez.
