England head coach Thomas Tuchel has scored another victory – this time on national anthems.
The German steered England to a 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday but at the end of the game said he had been dismayed by the fact that photographers had blocked his view of the players singing ‘God Save The King’.
Tuchel’s complaint has clearly been listened to, because the Press Association understands FIFA will now allow coaches to stand to the left or to the right of the photographers during the national anthems so they have a clear view of their players.
The change took effect for the first game on Thursday between the Czech Republic and South Africa, sources close to the global governing body said.
It is understood photographers will not be moved, but may be bunched slightly more closely together.
Tuchel said after Wednesday’s match: “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 in the national anthem.
“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.
“It is very emotional. When I was young and when I started coaching, this was too big to dream of this kind of occasion.”
The AT&T Stadium is quite unique in this regard because of the small distance between the touchline and the dugouts, meaning photographers are stood extremely closely to the coaches.
However, it is understood giving coaches the option to move left or right will apply at all venues.
