In a charity function, Harry Redknapp branded Thomas Tuchel a German spy and saluted like a Nazi.
A London crowd heard former Portsmouth, Tottenham, and West Ham manager Redknapp last week. The 78-year-old was questioned if England was wise to hire Tuchel.
“I don’t know,” Redknapp replied before making humorous remarks. “Honestly, I think he’s a German spy. Telling you. He was sent to mess us up. He has. He’s like Lord Haw Haw in the war ‘We have your best men captured’ and such.”
Redknapp imagines telling Tuchel, “‘Go over and ruin that team” before adding “Ja” with a German accent and raising his left arm in a Nazi salute.
Fans laughed at Redknapp’s comments against Tuchel and his gesture.
Redknapp remarked, “I’m going, I’ve got to go and see my accountant.” He laughed at the crowd’s applause. He ended by saying he wasn’t paid for his appearance.
The comments were made before Tuchel’s first two England games, a 2-0 win over Albania last Friday and a 3-0 win over Latvia on Monday.
After Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, Tuchel is England’s third foreign manager. The Daily Mail’s back page called his selection in October 2024 “A dark day for England [as] Three Lions gamble on a German.”
Miguel Berger, the German ambassador to the UK, said: “I think it’s a small minority that thinks that and I found it a bit outdated. Foreign coaches have been on the team before. The decision is bold yet straightforward and smart.”
