“I just feel – to make it as simple as possible – If I’m the manager of England and I play against France I cannot sing the national anthem of France.”
Wenger, who now works as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, said that a manager should be from the same country of the nation he coaches to prevent such problems from arising.
“To me on that front, I prefer that the manager is from the country,” he went on. “Why should the player have to be from a country and not the manager? There is a big inference.” Tuchel was asked about whether he would sing the national anthem when he officially takes over next year – with the German saying he hadn’t made a decision yet.
Wenger, who claimed he turned down advances from both France and Germany, said of Tuchel: “I think he is a perfect coach and a perfect candidate, but he’s not English. But it’s allowed so there is nothing wrong with that.”
Quizzed on why he was so reluctant to take a national team job during his lengthy managerial career, he said: “I always thought the national team is a part-time job with 10 games per year, and I prefer to play 60.”
Arsene Wenger also revealed this summer that he “regrets” not telling Southgate to reconsider his future at England manager, having seen him at a Gala this summer.
He said: “I saw [Southgate] just after the final and I forgot to tell him: ‘Don’t make a quick decision’, because when you lose such a big final, you always think in the next 48 hours you will resign. So that’s the only regret I have.
