THOMAS TUCHEL SHOCKS ENGLAND BY AXING THREE KEY STARS
Bellingham, Foden, Grealish Excluded: England Squad Explained
Thomas Tuchel, the manager of England, has explained why he did not include Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish in his team for the next matches against Wales and Latvia.
Bellingham returned to Real Madrid late this month after missing the September camp. He made four appearances before Tuchel's statement, including starting in the team's 5–2 loss against Atletico Madrid.
In his explanation of his omission, the German cited concerns about whether Bellingham was truly prepared to get back.
"We invited the same group into this camp because teamwork and team spirit were at their highest level to date," Tuchel stated. Jude is a very unique player, and remarkable individuals may always be subject to unique regulations. This makes sense. We choose to remain with our simple choice of inviting the same crew for this camp, and Jude is part of that.
Bellingham wanted a call-up to England, but Tuchel says he lacks rhythm.
"He is always deserving of being in the camp. The fact that he hasn't yet found his rhythm at Real Madrid adds another depth to it. He has returned to the squad, but he has only started one game and not completed any full ones, so he is now regaining his rhythm and strength.
His desire was to get called up. There were no [new fitness] concerns throughout our phone conversation. Simply put, he lacks rhythm.
Since Tuchel referred to Bellingham's on-field conduct as "repulsive" in June, Bellingham has not played for England. In his second language, he claimed to have used the incorrect term and later expressed regret for the remark.
"One has nothing to do with the other," the England manager remarked plainly, laughing when his remarks were brought up again in connection with the acknowledgement that the atmosphere in the England camp was at its best the previous time out when Bellingham was not there.
Thomas Tuchel: Grealish and Foden Are Not an Issue
Additionally, neither Phil Foden of Manchester City nor Jack Grealish, who was on loan from Everton, had a spot in Tuchel's squad. Although neither player was included in the September squad, they have both drawn attention at the club level.
Tuchel emphasised, "There is also no issue between me and Phil Foden or Jack Grealish, two very special players." "Phil is once again influencing and making decisions for Manchester City in games." Jack is on the verge of being his best self. There is absolutely no issue. There aren't any personal issues.
Tuchel expressed his gratitude to the players selected for the September internationals, implying that the recent exclusion of Foden and Grealish is due to the high calibre of players England now has and the fierce fight for spots.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, and Jarrod Bowen are among the players selected for wide forward or offensive midfield positions.
England will play Wales in a friendly match at Wembley on October 9 before travelling to Latvia five days later to complete their World Cup qualifying campaign.
THOMAS TUCHEL NAMES EXPANDED ENGLAND SQUAD FEATURING FOUR SURPRISE NEW INCLUSIONS
Thomas Tuchel hands maiden England call-ups to James Garner and Jason Steele while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James Garner from Everton and Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele have earned their first call-ups to the England squad. Alongside them, AC Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori and Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke have also been included. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw did not make the cut this time.
Jude Bellingham, despite being sidelined since early February due to a hamstring injury, is still part of the squad. Experienced centre-back Harry Maguire, now 33, has the chance to add to his 64 caps, while 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, is also selected. Both last represented England in September 2024 but have been rewarded for Manchester United’s recent good form, which has lifted them to third place in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw, pushing for inclusion, has been overlooked once again. Instead, Tuchel has called up Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, marking his first call-up since Tuchel took over.
This squad is larger than usual, with players arriving in two phases during the international window. Tuchel explained on the Football Association’s website that the first group includes players who haven’t played much recently, aiming to broaden competition for spots in the upcoming US tour. Then, from Friday to Saturday, another group will join, including some who’ve had a short rest, to mix things up for the match against Japan.
England will face Uruguay at Wembley on March 27, followed by a home game against Japan on March 31. Looking ahead, the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with England considered among the contenders.
Here’s the full squad breakdown:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle), Jason Steele (Brighton)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham)
WHY CAF STRIPPED SENEGAL OF THEIR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS TITLE
Following a final walk-off, Senegal has lost its AFCON trophy in the boardroom, prompting an appeal to CAS by the FSF.
Moussa Niakhate finally spoke out after the Confederation of African Football’s shocking decision to take Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy away. After that wild walk-off in the final against Morocco, CAF backed an appeal and handed the host nation a 3-0 win by default. Senegalese players were furious; who wouldn’t be?
The boardroom decision completely flipped African football on its head. Two months after the final, the CAF Appeal Board tossed out Senegal’s victory and gave Morocco the win. It all started deep into stoppage time when VAR gave Morocco a penalty. Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s manager, lost it and told his players to leave the field. Eventually, they came back and finished the match. Still, officials said the walk-off broke tournament rules, so they took the title away. Brutal.
Niakhate, the 30-year-old defender who was key in Senegal’s backline, got asked about it before Lyon’s Europa League match with Celta. He’d already posted a photo with his medal and the trophy right after the ruling. He made it clear: nothing a boardroom says can erase what happened on the pitch. He said, “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”
That final in Rabat was pure chaos, even before Senegal won 1-0 on the field. Most players followed Thiaw down the tunnel, but Sadio Mane stayed, urging his teammates to come back. Brahim Diaz took the penalty but tried a Panenka, and Edouard Mendy caught it easily. The game went to extra time, Papa Gueye scored, and Senegal thought they were champions again. It didn't matter; the walk-off cost them everything. The committee called it a 3-0 forfeit.
It’s harsh for a team that believed they’d gone back-to-back. Niakhate, who started six out of seven games, is now focusing on Lyon’s European campaign. Still, that boardroom drama isn’t going away, not with the international break coming up. Senegal’s already planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
