Southgate to skip World Cup punditry to avoid distractions

Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate has said he turned down offers to work as a pundit at the World Cup because he did not think it would be "helpful" to the team's chances. Southgate, who resigned after England's defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, led the side for 102 games over eight years, guiding them to the finals of two European Championships and the 2018 World Cup semi-final.

Decision to stay away

In a post on Instagram, Southgate explained his reasoning: "It's obviously a very different tournament for me this one, I've been at the last seven World Cups as a player, as a broadcaster, a scout and then as the manager. So this time I took a conscious decision not to do the TV. I didn't think it would be helpful for me to be talking about the team and I don't want anything to be misconstrued or thrown at them at press conferences, so best for me to keep out of the way."

Southgate managed England at four major tournaments, including the 2022 World Cup where they reached the quarter-finals. He expressed confidence in the current squad, saying: "Good luck to all the boys. I know all the big knockout nights that we've had mean they are going to be full of confidence going into this tournament. They have overcome so many hurdles to winning - penalty shootouts, semi-finals, got so close - and they are ready to win. Hope everybody has a great month - and I'll be staying out of the way."

England's World Cup campaign

England's World Cup campaign begins on Wednesday (21:00 BST) when they face Croatia in Arlington, Texas. They will then play Ghana on Tuesday, 23 June (21:00 BST) and Panama on Saturday, 27 June (22:00 BST). Sir Alf Ramsey, who led England to victory in the 1966 World Cup, remains the only other manager to have guided the men's team to a major tournament final.

Bellingham on expectation

Earlier this week, England midfielder Jude Bellingham said that "expectation" played a part in the team not connecting "as well as it could" during Euro 2024, and that players "needed to feel loved" this summer. Reflecting on the campaign, Bellingham said: "We had done well in 2018 and done well in Qatar [for the 2022 World Cup], and when it came to that tournament we were seen as one of two or three teams that should win it. We were not playing particularly well so even when we were winning you didn't get the feeling you were as happy as you should be."

In a new BBC documentary, Southgate addresses the crisis he feels boys and young men are facing, and explores what is shaping the attitudes and outlook of this generation.