Read 3 minutes12 Jul 2026 09:13 AM IST
After surviving a brawl with Norway in the FIFA World Cup quarter-final in Miami, members of the England camp are seen fighting among themselves. England manager Thomas Tuchel and double goalscorer Jude Bellingham both appeared to publicly disagree with each other in comments made after the Three Lions reached the World Cup semi-finals.
It all started with Thomas Tuchel’s controversial interview on the 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.”
The forward applauded when his coach’s reaction was put to Bellingham.
“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.”
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England prevailed in the heat and humidity of South Florida, with temperatures reaching 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius) at the start of the warm-up.
“Well, whatever,” Bellingham said, shaking his head in a second interview when asked about Tuchel’s comments. “It’s tough out there. It’s a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation go out to the players out there who put in a great shift.”