Sir Gareth Southgate will not be on television screens during this summer's World Cup, the former England manager said on Instagram, because he did not want his words to be "misconstrued or thrown at them in press conferences".
Southgate, 55, who resigned after England's defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, has attended the last seven World Cups in various roles — as a player, broadcaster, scout and then manager. But this time, he said, "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."
“Gareth Southgate turned down World Cup punditry to avoid distracting England, saying he didn't want his words misconstrued.”
Over eight years and 102 games in charge, Southgate led England to the finals of two European Championships and the 2018 World Cup semi-final — the best record of any manager since Sir Alf Ramsey, who won the 1966 World Cup. He also guided the side to the quarter-finals in Qatar in 2022.
Now, with Thomas Tuchel at the helm, Southgate said he believes England are "ready to win" a World Cup. "All the knockout nights they've had means they are going to be full of confidence going into the tournament," he posted. "They have overcome so many hurdles to winning — penalty shootouts, semi-finals, we got so close — and they are ready to win."
England's campaign begins on Wednesday against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, followed by matches against Ghana on 23 June and Panama on 27 June. The team has been training, with Jude Bellingham earlier this week reflecting on the pressure of expectation during Euro 2024, saying the squad "needed to feel loved" and that even when winning, "you didn't get the feeling you were as happy as you should be."
Southgate, who has kept a low profile since stepping down, made clear he will not be a distraction. "Good luck to all the boys," he said. "Hope everybody has a great month — and I'll be staying out of the way."