Tuchel backs FA's Infantino stance and vows Mainoo will play in Nations League

Thomas Tuchel has thrown his weight behind the Football Association’s public challenge to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, while also promising Kobbie Mainoo a guaranteed role in England’s upcoming Nations League fixtures.

FA chair Debbie Hewitt wrote to the embattled FIFA president this week demanding answers over the proposed World Cup sell-off plan and seeking clarity on why Folarin Balogun’s suspension was overturned. Tuchel, speaking after naming his first England squad since the team’s World Cup exit at the semi-final stage following defeat to Argentina, said the FA’s backing of him through the tournament made supporting their stance straightforward.

“I just told you how I am backed from my bosses, so it’s the minimum I can do is back my bosses, I would say,” Tuchel said. “So they have my full support on that and I back their opinion.”

The England head coach recalled a particularly meaningful exchange with FA leadership before the Mexico game. “There was a moment, a very special moment before the Mexico game where we had a talk and my bosses told me: ‘We know that anything can happen in a football match and we know that anything can happen in a match in Mexico in a World Cup, but don’t worry, we see what’s going on and we want to continue like this.’ This was a beautiful moment for me as a coach.”

On Mainoo, Tuchel was candid about his own responsibility for the midfielder’s lack of minutes at the World Cup. The Manchester United player did not feature for a single minute throughout the tournament, and Tuchel acknowledged the decision rested entirely with him.

“I expect him to be on the pitch and it’s my duty to put him on the pitch,” Tuchel said. “That was totally on me — he did not put a foot wrong at the World Cup. He was class in behaviour and on the training pitch.”

Tuchel explained that the depth of options available in midfield — including Reece James deployed in the role, Elliot Anderson, and Declan Rice — meant Mainoo was trusted less than others at that stage. A pre-match injury before the third-place play-off against France denied the 19-year-old even a late consolation appearance.

“It was difficult for him, difficult for me. He got injured before the France game so we could not even give him minutes there, which hurt me. Maybe he was more hurt, but it was my responsibility.”

Tuchel’s voice is expected to carry weight within UEFA’s broader protest movement against Infantino, adding an influential frontline perspective to the institutional pressure already being applied by the FA.