Former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp referred to new England coach Thomas Tuchel as a German spy and seemed to mimic a Nazi salute, as shown in a clip uploaded onto the Guardian’s site.
Tuchel assumed control in January and led the team to victory in their initial matches against Albania and Latvia during World Cup qualification.
During his extensive managing tenure with clubs like West Ham, Portsmouth, and Tottenham, Redknapp shared his thoughts at an event in London when he was questioned about England’s decision to hire the German manager.
“I’m not sure,” stated the individual who is 78 years old prior to sharing remarks intended to entertain those present. “To be truthful with you, I believe he’s a German spy. You heard it from me.”
Redknapp playfully suggested that Tuchel, who previously managed Paris-Saint Germain, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich, was dispatched to England specifically to cause trouble for the national team.
“He certainly has,” he said. “Let me tell you, he’s akin to Lord Haw Haw during the war – ‘We have your finest troops captive’ and such.”
Lord Haw-Haw, whose actual name was William Joyce, was a broadcaster who delivered German propaganda to Britain throughout World War II.
In the video, Redknapp pretends to deliver instructions to Tuchel – “Go over and destroy that team.” He adopts a German accent, responding with “Ja,” and raises his left arm in what looks like a Nazi salute.
The comments were made prior to England’s 2-0 triumph over Albania last week and their 3-0 victory against Latvia on Monday, as reported by the Guardian.
Tuchel, who took over from Gareth Southgate as the head coach of England, becomes the third foreign permanent manager for the men’s national team following Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italy’s Fabio Capello.
The individual, who is 51 years old, has received an 18-month agreement with the challenging task of securing qualification and emerging victorious at next year’s World Cup hosted in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
When questioned in October about his position, Tuchel responded to the press with “I apologize; I merely possess a German passport,” mentioning he felt “honored” to serve as the England manager.
At the beginning of this month, he stated that he had to “prove himself worthy” to perform the national anthem.
At the Albania game, fans displayed a banner that said: “Welcome to the home of football, Thomas.”
Redknapp was the last English manager to claim a significant domestic title — winning the 2008 FA Cup with Portsmouth — prior to Eddie Howe guiding Newcastle to triumph over Liverpool in this month’s League Cup final.
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