England head coach Thomas Tuchel has successfully pressured Fifa into changing its photographer positioning policy during national anthems at World Cup matches.
Tuchel revealed after England’s 4-2 opening win over Croatia that a wall of photographers had completely blocked his view of his players during the pre-match ceremony.
The German coach said the emotional occasion of his first World Cup game as a manager was significantly dampened by the problem at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
“I have to tell you something. I’m begging Fifa to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem, because I could not see my team,” Tuchel said.
“It was a very special moment, and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers and I could not see one single player. It ruined a little bit my experience.”
Fifa responded swiftly to the complaint and has now agreed a compromise that will apply to all affected matches throughout the tournament.
Photographers will now be grouped in a huddle closer to the halfway line, giving coaching staff a clear and unobstructed view of their players during the national anthems.
The issue arose partly due to the unique structure of AT&T Stadium, which is the regular home of NFL side the Dallas Cowboys.
The NFL playing surface is too small for World Cup football matches, meaning the pitch had to be raised by 1.2 metres to accommodate a full-sized football field on top of it.
That raised surface reduced the available space along the sidelines, leaving coaches and photographers competing for a very limited area during the pre-match ceremonies.
Fifa wasted little time in implementing the new arrangement, deploying the revised approach for the first time during Thursday’s Group A fixture between Czech Republic and South Africa in Atlanta.
The Dallas game was a landmark occasion for Tuchel, marking his debut as a manager at a World Cup finals, making the disruption to the anthem moment all the more frustrating for him.
England’s performance on the pitch gave Tuchel plenty to be satisfied with despite his complaints, as his side ran out convincing 4-2 winners in their Group L opener.
The swift resolution demonstrates Fifa’s willingness to engage with team management on operational matters, with the new photographer huddle system now set to remain in place for the remainder of the tournament.
