Thomas Tuchel Frustrated by Photographer Placement During National Anthem

Thomas Tuchel cut a visibly frustrated figure after the final whistle, and it had nothing to do with tactics, missed chances or refereeing calls.

The Germany coach revealed that what should have been a landmark moment in his life on the touchline was, in his eyes, spoiled before a ball had even been kicked.

“I have to tell you something,” he said, his irritation clear. “I'm begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem, because I could not see my team.”

As the players lined up, Tuchel found himself staring not at his XI, but at a dense bank of lenses and bodies.

“It was a very special moment, and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers and I could not see one single player,” he explained. “It ruined a little bit my experience. It is very emotional. When I was young and when I started coaching, this was too big to dream of this kind of occasion.”

For a coach who has climbed through the game step by step, that anthem, that view of his team, was supposed to be the payoff. Instead, the first image of his big night was a barricade of cameras, not the players he has spent his career trying to lead to exactly this stage.