Thomas Tuchel has raised significant concerns regarding the officiating quality at the World Cup, characterizing it as inconsistent and unpredictable. Nevertheless, he maintains a strong belief that England can achieve success following their exhilarating 3-2 victory over Mexico.
After observing his team struggle with just ten players at Azteca stadium on Sunday, Tuchel expressed his dissatisfaction with the refereeing standards throughout the tournament. The German coach was particularly frustrated by the red card issued to Jarell Quansah, which followed a review by the video assistant referee. He underscored that players are left uncertain about officiating expectations during matches, cautioning that poor refereeing could result in teams facing elimination.
“He [the referee] can send any team out in any moment. It’s just not good enough. It’s just erratic, it’s just unreliable in matches. Now we have two fourth officials who just scream at you if you put one foot out of a coaching zone. It’s just not good enough.” Tuchel stated. “We give everything and then decisions are overturned in a very questionable way. “But it’s not only about the big decisions, the little decisions, the consistency in the decisions. You’re just out there, it’s like almost on the open sea, in front of the court, you don’t know what’s going to happen. They’re just not on the level. “You play high level now. The so‑called underdogs, the so‑called little nations, like we played [DR] Congo, they play on the highest level. Cape Verde plays on the highest level. You need highest‑level refereeing. There are only athletes out there. The game has changed massively and it’s just not good enough. It’s just not good enough for the players, for the game.”
From the very start of the match against Mexico, Tuchel demonstrated his dissatisfaction with the officiating. His frustration peaked when Declan Rice was booked by referee Alireza Faghani for a foul just one minute into the game.
Quansah will miss the quarter-final match against Norway in Miami on Saturday due to his suspension, which stemmed from a review of his tackle on Jesús Gallardo. Moreover, Mexico’s second goal was awarded following another review that resulted in a penalty for a foul by Harry Kane.
With Jordan Henderson sidelined for the rest of the tournament due to a broken wrist sustained during celebrations, Tuchel was asked whether he would discuss the impact of VAR with his players. “In real life there is a way of how the game flows and how you referee and some referees are like: ‘No, I don’t allow too much contact.’ Some say: ‘No, now it’s an emotional game, I let the contacts go.’ There are contacts. You cannot look at the still and go: ‘There was a leg in between.’ Come on. You don’t even give a foul and then you go to a red card. You don’t give a foul and then you go to penalty.” he responded. “It fuels our belief that we are here to stay,”
“We are in a part of a tournament, round of 32, round of 16, where you just need to find a way to stay in the tournament, you need to find a way to win. Then, from the quarter-final, it’s eight teams and everyone can win it. “We will stay with the motto, step by step, and game by game. But of course, matches like this, you can only win them with belief, and it will just fuel our belief.”
He further criticized the officiating, asserting that top-tier refereeing is crucial given the tournament’s high stakes. “The so-called underdogs, the so-called little nations, like we played [DR] Congo, they play on the highest level. Cape Verde plays on the highest level. You need highest-level refereeing. There are only athletes out there. The game has changed massively and it’s just not good enough. It’s just not good enough for the players, for the game.”
Tuchel also challenged the perception of contact within the sport, questioning, “Do you really think that Harry in this moment thinks ‘Oh, VAR!’? He just goes to the ball and there’s a contact, it’s contact sport. We cannot look at stills and think: ‘Oh, contact, penalty.’”
“In real life there is a way of how the game flows and how you referee and some referees are like: ‘No, I don’t allow too much contact.’ Some say: ‘No, now it’s an emotional game, I let the contacts go.’ There are contacts. You cannot look at the still and go: ‘There was a leg in between.’ Come on. You don’t even give a foul and then you go to a red card. You don’t give a foul and then you go to penalty.”
Despite these controversies, Tuchel remains optimistic about England’s prospects in the tournament. “It fuels our belief that we are here to stay,” he remarked. “We are in a part of a tournament, round of 32, round of 16, where you just need to find a way to stay in the tournament, you need to find a way to win. Then, from the quarter-final, it’s eight teams and everyone can win it.”
“We will stay with the motto, step by step, and game by game. But of course, matches like this, you can only win them with belief, and it will just fuel our belief.”
The only setback for England was Henderson’s injury, which occurred when he slipped while trying to leap over an advertising hoarding. The Brentford midfielder spent the night in the hospital with a member of the team’s medical staff and requires surgery, effectively ruling him out for the rest of the World Cup.
