Thomas Tuchel voiced his discontent regarding the inconsistent refereeing observed during the World Cup, while maintaining that England has a strong chance of advancing after their exhilarating 3-2 victory over Mexico.
Following a tense match where his team managed to hold their ground with only ten players at the Azteca Stadium on Sunday, Tuchel took aim at the officiating, noting a persistent lack of quality throughout the tournament. He expressed particular frustration over the red card given to Jarell Quansah, issued after a review prompted by the video assistant referee, emphasizing that players are often left uncertain about officiating standards.
“He [the referee] can send any team out in any moment. It’s just not good enough. It’s just erratic, it’s just unreliable in matches. Now we have two fourth officials who just scream at you if you put one foot out of a coaching zone. It’s just not good enough.” Tuchel remarked. “We give everything and then decisions are overturned in a very questionable way. “But it’s not only about the big decisions, the little decisions, the consistency in the decisions. You’re just out there, it’s like almost on the open sea, in front of the court, you don’t know what’s going to happen. They’re just not on the level. “You play high level now. The so‑called underdogs, the so‑called little nations, like we played [DR] Congo, they play on the highest level. Cape Verde plays on the highest level. You need highest‑level refereeing. There are only athletes out there. The game has changed massively and it’s just not good enough. It’s just not good enough for the players, for the game.”
Tuchel’s displeasure with the officiating was apparent right from the start against Mexico, as he reacted with anger when Declan Rice was shown a yellow card for a foul just a minute into the match.
Quansah is set to serve a suspension for the upcoming quarter-final against Norway in Miami on Saturday due to his dismissal for a tackle on Jesús Gallardo. Furthermore, a penalty check for a foul by Harry Kane led to Mexico’s second goal being awarded.
Having lost Jordan Henderson to a broken wrist during post-match celebrations, which will keep him out for the remainder of the tournament, Tuchel was asked whether he intended to discuss the implications of VAR with his players. “In real life there is a way of how the game flows and how you referee and some referees are like: ‘No, I don’t allow too much contact.’ Some say: ‘No, now it’s an emotional game, I let the contacts go.’ There are contacts. You cannot look at the still and go: ‘There was a leg in between.’ Come on. You don’t even give a foul and then you go to a red card. You don’t give a foul and then you go to penalty.” he responded. “It fuels our belief that we are here to stay,”
“But it’s not only about the big decisions, the little decisions, the consistency in the decisions. You’re just out there, it’s like almost on the open sea, in front of the court, you don’t know what’s going to happen. They’re just not on the level.
“We are in a part of a tournament, round of 32, round of 16, where you just need to find a way to stay in the tournament, you need to find a way to win. Then, from the quarter-final, it’s eight teams and everyone can win it. “We will stay with the motto, step by step, and game by game. But of course, matches like this, you can only win them with belief, and it will just fuel our belief.”
“Do you really think that Harry in this moment thinks ‘Oh, VAR!’? He just goes to the ball and there’s a contact, it’s contact sport. We cannot look at stills and think: ‘Oh, contact, penalty.’”
Tuchel, despite the setbacks, remains hopeful that England will build on their momentum from the victory over Mexico, which defied the latter’s formidable history at the Azteca. “It fuels our belief that we are here to stay,” he asserted. “We are in a part of a tournament, round of 32, round of 16, where you just need to find a way to stay in the tournament, you need to find a way to win. Then, from the quarter-final, it’s eight teams and everyone can win it.”
“We will stay with the motto, step by step, and game by game. But of course, matches like this, you can only win them with belief, and it will just fuel our belief.”
However, the only setback for England was Henderson’s injury sustained while attempting to leap over an advertising board. The Brentford midfielder required an overnight hospital stay alongside a member of the medical staff and will need surgery, ruling him out for the entirety of the World Cup.
