England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed he is "begging FIFA" to make a change at the World Cup after a special moment he had been eagerly anticipating was ruined before the Three Lions' opening victory over Croatia.
England kicked off their campaign with a 4-2 win in Dallas, with Harry Kane scoring twice before Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford sealed the victory after Croatia had twice fought back into the match.
But despite the positive start to the tournament for them, Tuchel admitted he was left frustrated before a ball had even been kicked.
The German coach had been looking forward to seeing his England players line up for God Save the King ahead of their first World Cup fixture. However, FIFA's new pre-match anthem ceremony left him unable to see his own team.
Photographers were positioned directly in front of the dugouts as players gathered around the centre circle for the national anthems, blocking Tuchel's view.
Speaking after the match, he issued a direct plea to tournament organisers.
"I have to tell you something. I'm begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem, because I could not see my team," Tuchel said.
"And I was waiting for this moment. It was a very, very special moment today, and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers, half a metre away, and I could not see one single player, and it ruined my experience a little bit."
The England manager has repeatedly spoken about the significance of representing his adopted country and has previously explained why he does not yet sing the national anthem.
Tuchel said before the tournament that he wanted to "earn" the right to sing God Save the King and suggested he may only do so if England reach the World Cup final.
Ahead of the Croatia clash, he said: "Not yet, I think we are not there yet. At the very end maybe. I am still a bit shy. I don't want to offend people and I don't want to have the focus on that now."
The former Chelsea manager's comments came after England overcame a nervy start to claim all three points.
Kane moved level with Gary Lineker as England's joint-leading World Cup goalscorer on 10 goals, while Bellingham and Rashford added second-half strikes after an inspirational team talk from Tuchel at the break.
The England boss admitted his side had become too concerned with protecting their lead during a shaky first half.
"I just reinforced – even if we lose it will not change my perception of the last 17 days – but let's do it our way," he said.
"We are too focused on the result. If the result doesn't go our way, we want to play the way we want to. I tried to encourage them to go for it."
The message appeared to have the desired effect as England dominated after the interval to begin their World Cup campaign with victory.
But while Tuchel could celebrate a winning start on the pitch, he hopes FIFA listens to his request before England's next game against Ghana so that another special pre-match moment is not spoiled.
