Thomas Tuchel asks for 'fair chance' amid outcry over England appointment

Thomas Tuchel has asked for a "fair chance" from those who are unhappy with his appointment as the new England manager, replacing Gareth Southgate on an 18-month contract.

News broke of an agreement between Tuchel and the FA on Tuesday evening. It prompted a negative backlash from some, with the Daily Mail running a back page headline that read, "A Dark Day for England", with a heavy focus on the fact that the former Chelsea boss is 'GERMAN’'.

An official announcement then came from the FA on Wednesday morning.

The outcry at the appointment of a coach who won the Champions League with an unfancied team in 2021, but is also England's first foreign manager in 12 years and the first ever from Germany, has come across as particularly xenophobic.

Tuchel was bizarrely asked in his first press conference in his new role if he would be singing the English national anthem before games, while at one stage he uttered, "I am sorry I have a German passport", when quizzed on the reaction to his arrival in the role.

"I think we deserve a fair chance, the credit for having a good record in the country and how much we enjoyed living in the country and working in the Premier League. We will try to convince them with our results and how we play," Tuchel said, referring to himself and assistant Anthony Barry.

Tuchel's contract officially begins in January and runs until the summer of 2026, until the end of the World Cup in North America. It is not a long-term deal, which has already been another stick with which to beat the new coach before a ball has been kicked.

"It's 18 months and then we agreed to sit together and we'll see. I have good experience with 18-months, unfortunately sometimes. I'm working on my long-term game!" he said, making light of his relatively recent dismissals at both Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

"The last piece of it from me to understand that this is something that can really excite me to the fullest was the timeframe of 18 months but to demand from myself to not lose the focus. It's a good timeframe because it will help us focus. It is very streamlined."

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