Thomas Tuchel was prevented from answering a question on Djed Spence's decision to snub a pre-match handshake with Thomas Partey during his post-match press conference after England's 0-0 draw with Ghana at the 2026 World Cup.
Spence's handshake snub
The Tottenham full-back appeared to point his hand down and put it into his pocket as ex-Arsenal midfielder Partey approached him. Spence was the only England player not to shake hands with the Ghana midfielder, who was denied entry into Canada for his nation's first World Cup group fixture against Panama in Toronto.
Partey, 33, will stand trial next year after pleading not guilty to seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault, all of which are alleged to have taken place between 2020 and 2022.
Tuchel blocked from answering
During his post-match press conference, Tuchel was asked for his verdict on Spence's decision but was blocked from answering by England Communications Lead Andy Walker due to "legal" matters. The German initially appeared ready to respond, also reflecting on his side's underwhelming performance at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
On the pitch, the Three Lions endured frustration as they drew their second game at their fourth successive major tournament. They hit the crossbar through Nico O'Reilly and had an effort cleared off the line as they piled pressure on Ghana, who defended in a deep block.
Match details
Carlos Queiroz's side felt they could have had a penalty in the second half when Ezri Konsa caught Prince Kwabena Adu in the box. Captain Harry Kane shared his disappointment, saying: "Obviously disappointed not to win the game. It's a game we knew we had loads of possession, we did and they defended well in a low compact block and made it difficult to play in the middle of the pitch, so the game was outside and one v one duels. I think both ends of the half in the first and second half we got some momentum there and chances. It's a game we could've walked away 1-0, 2-0 and moved on. It was never going to be the prettiest game because of the way they played. Credit to them, they defended well, dangerous on the counter-attack. Overall, we defended that pretty well. They didn't have many chances. We take the point and move on."
England now face Panama in New Jersey in their final Group L game on Saturday.
