Thomas Tuchel attacks referee: “Against the rules”

After the English national team’s test game, Thomas Tuchel was anything but satisfied – with the performance of his players, but also with that of referee Stéphanie Frappart. Tuchel’s team surprisingly lost 1: 3, a goal of Jude Bellingham was revoked.

Before the supposed 2: 2 compensation, there is said to have been a handball from Levi Colwill. But whether the ball was really played by hand or shoulder in the scene remained a matter of interpretation. Frappart initially gave the gate, but then went to the screen on the edge of the field. After a few repetitions, the French referee took the goal back – much to the annoyance of the English.

Tuchel immediately started a discussion with the referee after the final whistle, but she quickly removed it. In an interview with the television station ITV, the English national coach explained: “It looks more like a shoulder than after hand.”

Tuchel was primarily annoyed that the goal was revoked, although there was no clear wrong decision. In such cases, the video check should not actually be used, but should have the decision on the pitch. “Either it is a mistake, then it has to be withdrawn. Or it is not a clear mistake, then it is a goal,” said the former Bayern coach. “But to look at it again and again is against the rules.”

Striker Harry Kane from FC Bayern also had little understanding of the referee’s decision. “If you know the rules, that’s not a handball,” he said in the ITV interview.

Thomas Tuchel took over the English national team at the beginning of the year. Until the defeat against Senegal, he remained unbeaten in the previous three games of his term. But the English had already disappointed in the narrow 1-0 win against Andorra football dwarf at the weekend and had to take a lot of criticism for their appearance at home.