Read 4 minutes14 Jul 2026 05:39 PM IST
England captain Harry Kane has addressed recent comments made by coach Thomas Tuchel and midfielder Jude Bellingham after their quarter-final win over Norway, saying broadcasters are trying to divide the team. He dismissed talk of rift and said things were being blown out of proportion.
“When you’re playing a game like this and five minutes after the final whistle the question is being asked, and he (Bellingham) didn’t know what the manager said, what did Jude mean? We’ve just been through a battle. It was really tough there. It’s easy to try and make that division – it seems like an English mentality, but there’s one key thing we need to do as a group. It’s because of our unity – just the players, Not only the coaches and the staff but sometimes things become more than they are,” Kane told the BBC.
“We understand that. The players on the pitch know more than anyone when you’re playing well, when you’re not playing well, that’s part of football. We understand what the boss meant, the boss praised the group a lot. He said the mentality of the group, which is sometimes the most difficult, has gone to a high level and we’ve appreciated that for a while and when he loves the heart of his people. When he talks, who he is is never ready, you believe in it, you believe in his Believe in the approach.
Harry Kane addresses England’s post-match interviews with Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham… pic.twitter.com/LUIHK3gbSB
– BBC Sport (@BBCSport) 13 July 2026
It all started with a controversial interview Thomas Tuchel Made a pitch with Fox Sports, where he complained about his team.
“We made life very difficult for ourselves today,” Tuchel added. “The result is fantastic. We are in the last four. It is amazing, but not happy with the performance … in every sense. There is commitment, but we made life very difficult with how we played. Many technical mistakes, not fast enough, lazy! Today we were lucky.”
When asked if it was a problem of mentality, an exasperated Tuchel pushed back: “Mentality? How can you ask about mentality now? You can bottle it up and sell it. It’s pure mentality!”
Tuchel later explained in his press conference that he was “proud and happy” with how his team overcame adversity, but added, “I’m also a football coach and I have demands. … I think we can play faster. I think we can play more clinical.”
When his coach’s comments were put to Bellingham, there was applause.
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“Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play against Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard… It’s not easy to play against. We tried to create a positive atmosphere and we tried to get to the final four. Can’t say enough to the guys. You can’t make thousands of passes and win every game. Sometimes you have to win that night.”