England manager Thomas Tuchel insists he will not sing the national anthem right away as he wants to earn the right to do so.
The former Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich boss was appointed as head coach of the England national team back in October, but formally began his new role at the beginning of this year. He succeeds Gareth Southgate, who was in charge of the Three Lions between 2016 and 2024.
Tuchel named his first England squad on Friday ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia at Wembley Stadium this month. He made some bold calls, including recalling both Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson for the first time since March 2024 and November 2023 respectively.
The England boss was first asked whether he would sing the national anthem, due to his German nationality, when he first addressed the media in October. At the time, he admitted he had not yet decided what we would do.
When asked again on Friday following the squad announcement, he admitted he would not do so right away and instead wants to earn the right to sing it. "I think, first of all, you have a very powerful, emotional and meaningful national anthem and I could not be more proud to be on the sidelines and be in charge of the English national team," he said.
"It means everything. It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel because it is that meaningful and it is that emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it.
"Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like 'he should sing it now, he's one of our own, he's the English manager, he should sing it."
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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