Mark Bullingham, the chief executive of the Football Association, stated that there are “performance conditions” attached to Thomas Tuchel’s continued role as head coach of England beyond the upcoming FIFA World Cup, though he did not disclose whether a break clause would come into effect after this summer’s tournament.
Bullingham clarified that Tuchel’s contract extension was not a reaction to Ruben Amorim’s recent sacking at Manchester United, amid rumors that Amorim was a leading candidate for the position.
The FA announced on Thursday that Tuchel has agreed to an extension that will last until the end of the European Championship in 2028, which will be hosted in England.
There has been some backlash regarding the decision to renew Tuchel’s contract before the World Cup, with some suggesting the FA should have waited. However, Bullingham argued that it was not “realistic” to allow the contract to simply expire.
When asked how the FA would respond if England performed poorly at the World Cup, Bullingham responded at the UEFA Congress in Brussels: “We appointed him with the intention of having him as our coach through 2028. Every coach has performance metrics in their contracts, which I’m not obligated to disclose.”
“I have similar conditions, but we are clear about wanting him to stay until 2028.”
Bullingham declined to confirm whether the new agreement includes a break clause after the World Cup.
When asked about the FA’s decision to finalize the contract before the tournament, Bullingham stated, “I believe it’s unrealistic. When dealing with any fixed-term contract, the approaching end of that term typically leads to considerations about future plans.”
“From our perspective, we recognized we had a world-class coach performing well, and we wanted him to continue.”
Bullingham emphasized that the decision was made to eliminate any uncertainty surrounding Tuchel’s future prior to the tournament.
“With any tournament, we prefer to have clarity a few months in advance,” he added.
“This has been the case with [former England women’s head coach] Sarina [Wiegman] and previously with Gareth [Southgate]. We often seek to reduce any uncertainty before entering a tournament, which benefits the coaching staff and players significantly.”
This move seems to eliminate the likelihood of Tuchel being pursued by other clubs searching for new managers this summer, including Manchester United.
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Sources indicate that the FA was eager to secure Tuchel’s future amid likely managerial changes this summer, with numerous elite coaches nearing the end of their contracts.
Nonetheless, Bullingham reiterated that the situation at Manchester United was not a factor in the FA’s deliberations and that talks regarding Tuchel’s extension began well before Amorim’s exit.
“The discussions progressed naturally after we qualified,” Bullingham noted.
“We felt it was a natural evolution. He seems to be relishing his role.
“He’s enjoying the international aspect of the job, as well as the time allowed between matches to strategize. It appears he truly embraces the challenge.”
This report incorporates information from PA and ESPN’s James Olley.