England got off to a dream start in the World Cup. However, there was one thing that really bothered national team coach Thomas Tuchel during the World Cup opener against Croatia. FIFA responded and has already implemented the changes.
England kicked off the World Cup with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, the reigning World Cup bronze medalist and 2018 World Cup finalist—the Three Lions thus made it clear early on that they intend to have a say in the title race. After the game, however, national team coach Thomas Tuchel complained about something else. “I’d been waiting a long time for this moment,” said the 52-year-old after the match, referring to the moment when the national anthems were played before kickoff.
“It was a very special moment. But then I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers who were half a meter away—and I couldn’t see a single one of my players. That ruined the experience a bit.” Tuchel then urged the world governing body (FIFA) to do something about this situation. “I implore FIFA to change the photographers’ positioning during the national anthems,” he said—and his plea was heard.
New guidelines are already being implemented
As has now been announced, photographers will in the future be positioned in a group closer to the center line—so that national team coaches will finally have an unobstructed view of their respective players. The new guidelines were already put into effect on Thursday in Atlanta during the Group A match between the Czech Republic and South Africa.
However, there was also a unique circumstance during the Croatia match that exacerbated the situation with the photographers. AT&T Stadium normally serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys—and because the NFL field is too small for World Cup matches, the playing surface had to be expanded by 1.2 meters to make room for a soccer field. However, this adjustment eliminated part of the sidelines, which limited the available space for coaches and photographers during the national anthems.