“I want to earn the right to sing the anthem,” England manager Tuchel says

Thomas Tuchel, the manager of England, announced his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifying matches, saying he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national hymn, God Save the King.

When he announced his first squad to play Albania and Latvia this month, Tuchel, who was named Gareth Southgate’s replacement in October, stated he would not sing the national anthem during his first games as manager.

“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German stated during a news conference.

Lee Carsley, the former interim manager, came under fire last year for failing to sing the national anthem while in charge.

Though he is honored to lead the squad and is familiar with the anthem, Tuchel went on to say that he intends to prove himself by producing results.

“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” stated the manager.