Thomas Tuchel has responded after England supporters loudly labelled Prime Minister Keir Starmer a ‘c***’ during the 1-0 win over Andorra on Saturday.
Around 7,000 Three Lions supporters made the trip to Barcelona to watch the dire World Cup qualifying victory, settled by Harry Kane’s 50th-minute goal.
Some foul-mouthed individuals made their feelings toward Starmer clear during an uneventful first half and their songs were audible during ITV’s live coverage.
Singing to the tune of KC & The Sunshine Band’s hit Give It Up, they sang: ‘Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na now, Starmer is a c***, is a c***, Starmer is a c***.’
Supporters at RCDE Stadium also chanted: ‘Keir Starmer is a w****r, is a w****r.’
The drab match was played out in front of a largely empty backdrop after the fixture was moved from Andorra to a ground over 100 miles away.
England supporters labelled Keir Starmer a ‘c***’ during the 1-0 win over Andorra
Three Lions head coach Thomas Tuchel said he did not hear the abusive songs
Around 7,000 supporters made the trip to Barcelona to watch the drab World Cup qualifier
Tuchel’s side were jeered off at half-time and at the final whistle after delivering an underwhelming performance against opponents ranked 173rd in the world.
At the time of the numerous abusive chants directed at Starmer, the Three Lions had been struggling to find a breakthrough against the minnows.
But after the game, Tuchel said he did not hear any of the songs in question.
‘If it happened, it’s not acceptable,’ he told reporters during his press conference. ‘But I didn’t hear any offensive songs or chants.’
Saturday seemingly marked the first time England supporters have openly taken aim at Starmer, who has attended a number of Three Lions games in the past.
Tuchel, meanwhile, laid into his team for ‘playing with fire’ against Andorra, warning them they were fortunate not to get burned by one of Europe’s worst sides.
‘I think in the end, we played with fire, honestly,’ Tuchel said. ‘I felt it almost like in a cup game where the favourite does not smell the danger.
‘I didn’t feel a team that was aware it was only 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier. Step by step the energy dropped when we needed exactly the opposite.
Starmer has attended a number of England matches, including the Euro 2020 final (pictured)
Harry Kane scored the only goal against Andorra, the minnows ranked 173rd in the world
An angry Tuchel said his side ‘played with fire’ and took aim at their casual attitude
‘But we couldn’t deliver and so we got away with a win. I think we still deserved the win and we’ve got three wins and three clean sheets.
‘We will not stop encouraging them and make clear after we have a proper look at the match what we want from them.’
Tuchel also ripped into England’s casualness, adding: ‘I liked the attitude how we started, the first 25 minutes, but I didn’t like the last 25. I think we lacked the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier.
‘I didn’t like the attitude in the end. I didn’t like the body language.’
