Thomas Tuchel’s secret sack clause if England lost to 1 World Cup team | Football | Sport
Thomas Tuchel has been widely blamed for England’s defeat to Argentina (Image: Getty)
Any decision to sack Thomas Tuchel after England’s heartbreaking World Cup exit would reportedly cost the FA millions of pounds. The crushing nature of their semi-final collapse against Argentina has ramped up the pressure on Tuchel, who has been widely blamed for the defeat. His defensive shift after Anthony Gordon’s opener allowed Argentina to launch repeated attacks as the clock ticked down.
Rather than pushing for an insurance goal, England sat back and invited pressure, a strategy that ultimately backfired. It was clear that Argentina would eventually score and the breakthrough arrived in the 85th minute when Enzo Fernandez equalised from distance. The comeback was complete when Lautaro Martinez headed home to break English hearts in the second minute of stoppage time.
Tuchel’s defensive approach in the latter stages of the match has attracted widespread criticism, leading to calls for the England manager to be shown the door.
However, he recently signed a contract extension through until Euro 2028, meaning it would be an expensive job to sack him.
There were clauses in place that would have allowed the FA to rip up Tuchel’s contract if England had been knocked out before the quarter-finals, according to The Athletic.
Had England lost to DR Congo in the last 32, the FA could have axed Tuchel for a low cost. But a special exception was made for an away trip to Mexico in the last 16.
However, those clauses have now expired, meaning a full payout would be required to axe the German manager following the defeat to Argentina.
Tuchel is reportedly being paid around £5million per year by the FA under the terms of his current deal. As a result, it would cost double that amount to relieve him of his duties.
However, it seems the 52-year-old will stay on to see out the remainder of his contract, if his post-match comments are to be believed.
Speaking after the final whistle against Argentina, Tuchel said: “We keep on going with the contract until the home Euros. I’m looking forward to that even though right now it’s difficult to look that far ahead.”
Tuchel remains tied down to England until the summer of 2028 (Image: Getty)
Quizzed on the submissive nature of England’s collapse, he reflected: “In this moment my feeling was no structure in the world could have helped us.
“Because actually we were too passive and we were not physical enough, we didn’t stop runners arriving in our box and the deliveries were wrong too.
“I haven’t seen the data yet, but I think just right after the goal the momentum swings completely and ball possession drops dramatically. We couldn’t find any duels anymore, that’s why we dropped deeper and deeper.
“It was never the plan, but it happened. We couldn’t stop the runners from the second line, the midfielders, through our gaps, and the deliveries were on the highest level.
“You need to get back on the ball otherwise you cannot break the pressure and you cannot get the momentum back. I think ball possession plays a crucial role.
“It’s maybe not in our DNA, like it is in our Spanish DNA or in our Argentinian or Brazilian DNA, to take the ball and control the game with the ball.”
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