Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate says he turned down work as a pundit at the World Cup because he did not think it would be “helpful” to the side’s chances.
Southgate resigned from his position after England were defeated by Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
The 55-year-old led England for 102 games over eight years, guiding them to the finals of two European Championships and the 2018 World Cup semi-final.
“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,” Southgate said in a post on Instagram, external.
“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.”
England’s World Cup campaign begins on Wednesday (21:00 BST) when they take on Croatia in Arlington, Texas.
They then have matches against Ghana on Tuesday, 23 June (21:00 BST) and Panama on Saturday, 27 June (22:00 BST).
Sir Alf Ramsey, 1966 World Cup winner, is the only other manager to have guided England’s men’s team to a major tournament final.