Trump says England’s Tuchel ‘made a mistake’ with Kane in Argentina World Cup defeat

United States President Donald Trump has questioned England’s tactics in their 2-1 FIFA World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, suggesting manager, Thomas Tuchel, made a mistake by deploying captain Harry Kane in a defensive role after his side had taken the lead.

PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the White House threw its support behind England to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the United States’ elimination from the tournament.

Andrew Giuliani, a representative of US President Donald Trump on World Cup matters, said England would be a fitting champion after the co-host crashed out of the tournament.

According to the BBC on Saturday, Trump’s remarks came amid growing criticism of Tuchel’s second-half tactical changes following England’s collapse against the defending champions, who scored twice late on to book a place in Sunday’s final against Spain.

Several key England players were left disappointed with the instructions they received after Anthony Gordon’s opener, as Tuchel switched to a back five and introduced defensive-minded substitutions while Lionel Messi inspired Argentina’s comeback.

Speaking on Friday, Trump said Kane should not have been used in a defensive role.

“You have a great player in England who I’ve played golf with. And he is Harry [Kane] who has been fantastic.

“I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player. What do I know about soccer? They took the lead, and they took their best player and put him on defence.

“We got to be a little offensive, right. But no, I’m not going to call it, what do I know about coaching? But that was a little unusual.”

Tuchel had earlier brushed aside criticisms questioning his tactics after the loss.

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PUNCH Online had reported that Argentina produced a dramatic late comeback to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday and book their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, where the defending champions will face Spain on Sunday.

Balogun, FIFA talk

Speaking during a reception at Trump Tower, the US president also addressed FIFA’s decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban handed to United States striker Folarin Balogun following his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Balogun had been due to miss the United States’ Round of 16 match against Belgium before FIFA suspended the ban for 12 months, a move that drew widespread criticism.

Trump said: “This has been a tournament like no other. Filled with fierce competition, unforgettable moments. Probably the most unforgettable is when they gave that gentleman… is it a red card?

“And I was forced to call Gianni [Infantino]. I said ‘Gianni, I’d like to make a recommendation. Let the guy in the game!’ No, I didn’t say that. I said I’d like to wage a complaint.

“And actually I had no idea what was going to happen, but you know it is so much better the way it worked out because there is no controversy. [Belgium] won the game and our team had all of its players. You made another great decision if you think about it, but you’ll never get credit for it.”

Trump also praised FIFA president Gianni Infantino and described the tournament hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada as “the most successful sporting event, maybe in the history of the world.”

Infantino said the tournament had “exceeded expectations.”

“The American dream, Mr President, came to reality. We united the world in America.

“This is not just the greatest World Cup of all times, it is the greatest human, social and cultural event that mankind has ever witnessed and we are all part of it and for this I thank you very much, Mr President.”