18-7-2026
England head coach Thomas Tuchel has reacted to US President Donald Trump’s criticism of him following their defeat against Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals.
Trump criticized Tuchel’s decision to deploy England captain Harry Kane in a deeper role before sarcastically adding that he doesn’t know much about coaching.
Speaking ahead of the third-place match against France, Tuchel was asked about Trump’s comments and the backlash over his tactics. He gave a cheeky response to the reporter, asking: “Do you use Donald Trump as your witness for the case?”
Tuchel faced heavy backlash from fans and former players for adopting a defensive approach after England took the lead against Argentina.
However, the German tactician stood by his tactical substitutions, insisting he had no regrets about trying to lock down the game.
“If you’re asking if I regret my decision, if this is the question, then I don’t regret my decisions,” he added.
“I felt that the momentum switches in the match. And I tried to help my team…
“I took several decisions, trusting my instinct, my intuition, my experience, trusting my competitiveness, and I took the decision in order to help the team and get the result. We didn’t get the result.
“So I take, of course, the responsibility and for these decisions. I would regret if I didn’t help. I would regret if we didn’t react.”
Tuchel said he was not willing to engage “in this kind of game” over who is to blame.
“No problem,” he said. “This is the deal that you sign up for, but I will not engage.” Agency reports