Thomas Tuchel opted against singing the national anthem on his England debut as the Three Lions take on Albania at Wembley on Friday night.
The German is the first foreign manager of the Three Lions since Fabio Capello in 2011, who also never sang the national anthem.
However, another foreign boss in Sven Goran Eriksson did try to get involved during his time in charge of England.
Nevertheless, Tuchel's decision not to sing 'God Save The King' is no surprise after he admitted that he would not take part before a ball had even been kicked.
Thomas Tuchel did not sing the national anthem, as he explained before kick-off
ITV
And the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss gave his reasoning, saying that he has to 'earn the right' to belt out the anthem.
“First of all, you have a very powerful, emotional and meaningful national anthem and I could not be more proud to be on the sideline and be in charge of the English national team,” he said last week.
“It means everything. But I can feel because it is that meaningful and it is that emotional and it is so powerful that I have to earn my right to sing it. I feel that it is not just a given.
“You cannot just sing it. That’s why I decided that I will not sing it in my first matches.
“I will earn the right with results, with building a group, with doing my job properly and by creating a feeling where maybe even you guys [in the media] say at some point: ‘Now it’s time that you sing it. It feels like you properly earn it and you’re a proper English guy now!’
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“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.’”
Tuchel did admit that he has learned the lyrics of the anthem and could sing it further into his career with the Three Lions should it go on further.
It is more of an effort than his temporary predecessor Lee Carsley, who infuriated the nation when he refused to sing 'God Save The King' during his stint in charge.
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Thomas Tuchel revealed he would not sing the national anthem until he has earned it
PA
The former Birmingham midfielder stepped up from his role as England Under-21 manager after Southgate's resignation following Euro 2024.
But the 51-year-old insisted he would not sing the national anthem, representing Republic of Ireland during his career despite being born in England.
Carsley has since returned to his role as England Under-21 manager after failing to impress FA chiefs during his four months in charge of the senior side.
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England are kickstarting their campaign to qualify for the World Cup next year, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
They host Albania on Friday night and will take on Latvia on Monday night at Wembley, as well, before matches this summer against Andorra and San Marino.
