Former England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed he turned down offers for World Cup television work, opting instead to “keep out of the way” to avoid distracting the national team.
Despite his absence, Southgate expressed strong confidence in the squad, stating they are “ready to win” the tournament.
This summer’s 48-team competition in North America marks the first World Cup since 1994 that Southgate will not be directly involved, following his successful tenure which saw England reach a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final, alongside back-to-back European Championship finals before his departure after Euro 2024.
Explaining his decision in an Instagram video, Southgate highlighted his extensive history with the tournament. “This is obviously a very different tournament for me this one, I have been at the last seven World Cups as a player, as a broadcaster, as a scout and then as a manager,” he said.
“This time I took a conscious decision not to do the TV. I didn’t think it would be helpful for me to be talking about the team.”
He further elaborated on his desire to prevent any potential misinterpretations. “I don’t want anything to be misconstrued or thrown at them in press conferences. So, best for me to keep out of the way.”
Offering his full backing, Southgate added: “I want to take a moment to say good luck to all the boys. All the knockout nights they’ve had means they are going to be full of confidence going into the tournament.
“They have overcome so many hurdles to winning, penalty shootouts, semi-finals, we got so close and they are ready to win. I am looking forward to watching. I hope everybody has a great one and I will be staying out of the way.”
England arrived at their Kansas City base on Saturday and are set to commence their Group L campaign against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday.
