England stars ban overturned by Thomas Tuchel days before World Cup | Football | Sport
England manager Thomas Tuchel has ditched a rule enforced by his predecessor, Gareth Southgate, by permitting the wives and girlfriends of his players into the squad’s World Cup training base. The move marks a significant shift from how England camps were run under Southgate, as the tournament prepares to get underway on Thursday, June 11. Tuchel has welcomed players’ partners into the England squad’s hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida, having initially barred them from joining their other halves.
Jude Bellingham’s girlfriend, Ashlyn Castro, is understood to have made a four-hour journey to Tampa for England’s warm-up fixture against New Zealand last week. Harry Kane’s wife, Kate, and Kobbie Mainoo’s partner, Layla Roye, are also reported to have visited the hotel ahead of the squad’s relocation to Kansas City for the tournament proper. It had previously been understood that only players and staff were permitted on site, but Tuchel appears to have softened his stance.
A source told The Sun: “It’s very unusual for them to spend so much time with the footballers before the World Cup. But Tuchel wants his pre-tournament camp relaxed before heading to Kansas.”
Tuchel has additionally planned to grant the squad some downtime following their second warm-up match against Costa Rica on Wednesday, which England won 3-0. The German coach is believed to be keen to afford his players further quality time with their partners, friends and family before the competition kicks off.
England footballers’ partners were reportedly housed on a luxury cruise ship throughout the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Southgate was also understood to have prevented players’ other halves from featuring in a fly-on-the-wall World Cup documentary.
The former Three Lions boss was additionally said to have held contempt for the term ‘WAG’, considering it disrespectful. Nevertheless, he did permit his players’ partners to join them at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha following England’s 6-2 victory over Iran in the opening game of the 2022 tournament.
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has welcomed Tuchel’s U-turn on the matter. He said: “The tournament for us doesn’t start until June 17. So, I think this is going to be train hard, get used to the climate, have a bit of freedom, bit of downtime.”
The whereabouts of players’ wives and girlfriends throughout major tournaments has long been a source of national fascination. Controversially, certain fans and pundits have even pointed to their presence at tournaments as a contributing factor in some of the Three Lions’ defeats over the years.
The 2006 World Cup in Germany became notorious for a swarm of wives and girlfriends arriving in the peaceful town of Baden-Baden, as figures such as Victoria Beckham and Coleen Rooney garnered more focus than their partners managed on the pitch.
