Thomas Tuchel has persuaded FIFA to change its World Cup photographer protocols after the England manager said a wall of 50 photographers “ruined” his experience of watching his players sing the national anthem before their tournament opener.
The German coach, taking charge of a World Cup match for the first time, was left unable to see a single England player as they lined up for “God Save the King” at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Wednesday.
“I have to tell you something. I’m begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem, because I could not see my team,” Tuchel said after England’s 4-2 victory over Croatia.
“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,” he added.
“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”.
Television cameras showed photographers lining the touchline directly in front of the England bench. Tuchel could be heard telling them: “Very close guys, you’re very close. I can’t see anything”. He eventually gave up trying to find a vantage point and resorted to watching his players on the stadium’s jumbo screen alongside his coaching staff.
Less than 24 hours after Tuchel’s comments, FIFA introduced a revised arrangement. Photographers will now be grouped in a huddle closer to the halfway line, while coaches will be permitted to move to the left or right of the technical area for an unobstructed view. The new approach was first deployed during Thursday’s Group A fixture between the Czech Republic and South Africa in Atlanta.
The issue stemmed from the unique layout of the AT&T Stadium, normally home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Because an American football field is smaller than a FIFA-standard pitch, organisers raised the playing surface by approximately 1.2 metres (4 feet), which reduced available space around the sidelines and created congestion between photographers, coaches and match officials.
It remains unclear whether FIFA’s changes will fully satisfy Tuchel. According to BBC Sport, the Football Association is still awaiting formal discussions with football’s world governing body over the issue.
Tuchel, who has confirmed he will not sing the national anthem himself out of respect for his German nationality, has not ruled out doing so later in the tournament. “I am still a bit shy. I don’t want to offend people,” he said.
