Thomas Tuchel
“It means everything,” says Thomas Tuchel, who believes he must earn the privilege of singing the national anthem. The national anthem is so powerful, so emotional, and so profound that I have to earn the privilege to sing it, but I can guarantee you that it means a lot to me.
Following his announcement that he will not join in with God Save the King during his first games as England manager, Thomas Tuchel intends to “earn” the right to sing the national song.
Tuchel spoke to the media for about 90 minutes on Friday at Wembley after announcing his 26-man team for this month’s World Cup qualifying matches against Albania and Latvia.
England fixtures | World Cup 2026 European qualifying: Fixtures and full schedule
The subject of the national anthem was brought up once more, as it had been during Tuchel’s October introduction, and the 51-year-old German discussed his strategy before making his England dugout debut on March 21 against Albania.
“It is crucial. The national anthem is so powerful, so emotional, and so profound that I have to earn the privilege to sing it, but I can tell you that it means a lot to me.
“I do not think that is a given. You can not just sing it. I therefore made the decision not to sing it during my first bouts.
“I will gain it by producing results, forming a team, carrying out my duties effectively, and fostering an atmosphere that may eventually lead you to declare, ‘Now it is time that you sing it, it feels like you properly earned it and you are a true English guy now.'”
In order for everyone to feel as though “He should sing it now, he is one of our own, he is the English manager, he should sing it,” “Possibly I need to go deeper into the culture and earn my right from you, the players, and the supporters.”
When Lee Carsley refused to perform the national anthem during his brief tenure as England’s manager last year, it made headlines.
London-based Tuchel acknowledged that he did know the words to God Save the King during one of the many humorous moments of Friday’s press conference. He also defended his work-life balance after missing some Premier League games in the first ten weeks of his job.
“In the last nine weeks, I attended 25 matches,” Tuchel continued. “I might have been able to make it to 28, but…
“I watch at least five Premier League games live on a wide-angle screen on the weekends when I do not attend.
Because I do not see the match before or after if I go to the stadium on a Saturday, I spend more time watching if you do not see me than if you do.
“I believe I saw more live games than any other head coach in international football, so it would be interesting if you took the time to compare the live views.
“Listen, I need a small amount of your confidence that I can complete the task at hand with maximum effort and excellence.
“My occasional trips to Munich to visit my kids are obviously well-known. And that is pretty much all. Watching the Premier League on TV is a habit for my girls.
“They are in the adjacent room or with their father on the weekends you mentioned, and they are aware that I am observing. It does not get much better.”
