England manager says level of quality shown by teams at the tournament has contrasted greatly to refereeing
Thomas Tuchel has let rip at Fifa over the standard of refereeing at the World Cup.
The England head coach said officiating was “erratic” and “unreliable” at the tournament, arguing that England were let down by officiating in his side’s 3-2 last-16 victory over Mexico.
The Three Lions managed to progress despite losing Jarell Quansah to a red card and conceding a penalty after Harry Kane was judged to have fouled an opponent. Both incidents came after the referee was called to the pitchside monitor by VAR.
“The referees can send any team out in any moment,” Tuchel said. “It’s just not good enough. It’s just erratic. It’s just unreliable in matches. Now we have two fourth officials who just scream at you if you put one foot out of a coaching zone. It’s just not good enough.”
Tuchel insisted that the level of quality shown by teams at the tournament has contrasted greatly to officiating in his point of view.
“You play at a high level now – the so-called underdogs, the so-called little nations, like we played DR Congo, they play on the highest level,” Tuchel said.
“Cape Verde plays on the highest level. You need highest level refereeing. There are all athletes out there, the game has changed massively and it’s just not good enough. It’s just not good enough for the players, or for the game.”
But could the players somehow be guided to adapt to the new method of refereeing games?
Tuchel said: “What can they do? What can they do? We give everything and then decisions are overturned in a very questionable way.
“But it’s not only about the big decisions, the little decisions, the consistency in the decisions. You’re just out there, it’s like almost on the open sea, in front of the court, you don’t know what’s going to happen. They’re just not on the level.”
