The announcement that Thomas Tuchel was named the new coach of the England national team on Wednesday sparked an avalanche of responses from football fans across the country.
For many, the Champions League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1-winning coach was named FIFA Coach of the Year 24 months ago.
For some, Tuchel, regardless of his achievements at club level, is not fit to manage the Three Lions in the same way; He is German.
TO daily mail The appointment of “Herr Tuchel” is “a dark day for England”, criticized the editorial, while another Mail The article argued that everyone associated with the national team “should be English down to the child”, and instead of a highly qualified coach, English football needed “a patriot who will put this country first, second and third”.
However, does the public share those opinions? Will fans boo when England play their first game under Tuchel and their new coach, who is not British and comes from a country without a king for more than a century, does not sing God Save the King?
The hosts of London's Oktoberfest don't think so. The event, which takes place in Hammersmith this weekend and Ealing next, sees queues of beer-drinking customers posing in traditional German costumes and dancing to boisterous Bavarian Ompa music.
Lederhosen-wearing fan Darren Leach, an England and Arsenal fan, believes bringing in foreign coaches can be an advantage.
“For me, it doesn't matter what country he's from, if he's a good man and a good coach, that's good for me. [Mikel] Arteta is not English, [Arsène] Wenger is not English, look what they have achieved. Why can't he do the same?
Carsten Raun, organizer of Oktoberfests across the country, said Tuchel would be a good fit and that Germany and England have more in common than their opponents realize.
“It's the same here in Germany, we both love having a good time and drinking beer: we miss England, we are both part of Europe, we miss each other. We have Harry Kane and now you have Tuchel.
Michael Berger, Germany's ambassador to the UK, sees Tuchel winning. Mail He is said to be “another unemployed foreigner” who wants to “raid England's football bank”.
“I think a minority thinks that, I think it's a bit outdated, the team has had foreign coaches before, so having a foreigner is nothing new.
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“It was a brave decision, but very clear and very intelligent. It is based on criteria, it is based on experience: the news that Tuchel has been appointed to an important position in Germany makes us proud again.
While Germany's political ambassador to England is a fanatic, Germany's comedy ambassador is not. Bringing in a foreign coach strips English football of its identity, says comedian Henning Wen.
“It is bad that there are so few English coaches in the top flight and then there are fewer people who can coach England and then the national team. They could also change their name to Wembley Warriors because it no longer has anything to do with England.
Tuchel has been given an 18-month contract and one goal: to win the World Cup. Whether his nomination will be successful will be decided in the summer of 2026, but at the Oktoberfest, Leach said that the rest was not important: “Focus on football.”
