Thomas Tuchel has secured a victory at the World Cup after FIFA acted on his complaint regarding the national anthem before England's opening match. The Three Lions manager was unable to see his players during the anthem due to a wall of photographers. Following England's 4-2 win over Croatia, Tuchel urged FIFA to reposition the photographers. Within 24 hours, FIFA amended the pre-match arrangements, moving photographers closer to the halfway line to give managers an unobstructed view.
Tuchel's Frustration
After the match, Tuchel expressed his disappointment: "I have to tell you something, I am begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem because I could not see my team. I was waiting for this moment. It was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers, half a metre away, and I could not see one single player. It ruined a little bit my experience."
The German coach eventually gave up trying to see from the dugout and linked arms with his coaching staff for a rendition of God Save the King. He had to watch his players on the big screen.
Future Anthems
Tuchel, who did not sing the anthem himself, did not rule out doing so in the future. "I think we are not there yet," he said. "At the very end maybe. I am still a bit shy. I don't want to offend people and don't want to have the focus on that now."
England's Victory
England started their World Cup campaign with a convincing 4-2 win over Croatia. Goals from Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford, and a brace from Harry Kane secured all three points, giving the Three Lions a strong start in Group L.
