Harry Redknapp has been filmed apparently making a Nazi-style salute after suggesting that England manager Thomas Tuchel is a “German spy” who has “been sent over to f*** us up”.
Tuchel was appointed England boss back in October and began the job at the start of 2025 with the target of winning the 2026 World Cup.
The former Chelsea manager kicked off his reign with comfortable wins over Albania and Latvia in the current international break. His appointment as Gareth Southgate ’s successor was met with mixed reviews, with some fans and pundits believing that the FA should have gone with an Englishman to lead the national team.
Redknapp, 78, who has previously been touted as a candidate for the England job himself, was talking to an audience at a charity event in London before Tuchel’s first games in charge when he was asked what he made of the appointment.
In a video filmed from the audience and obtained by the Guardian, he replied: “I don’t know. I’ll be honest with you, I think he’s a German spy.” After hearing laughter from the crowd, he continued: “I’m telling you. Seriously, he’s been sent over to f*** us up. He has! I’m telling ya, he’s like Lord Haw Haw in the war – ‘We have your best soldiers captured’ and all that.”
He then added: “‘Go over and ruin that team,” with two sweeping gestures with his left arm before putting on a faux-German accent to say: “Ya” and perform a salute with the same arm. His attempt at a joke appeared to go down well with the audience.
In the clip, Redknapp then said: “I’m going, I’ve got to go and see my accountant,” before quipping that he hadn’t been paid for the charity gig. Mirror Football have contacted Redknapp’s representatives.
The Portsmouth, Tottenham and West Ham manager is scheduled to do a full speaking tour of the UK later this year, separate to the charity show he was speaking at in London. The website of the booker, called A1 Sporting Speakers, describes the shows, which begin in Bristol on June 2 as “a night of laughter, football tales, and unforgettable moments”.
The show is entitled ‘An Evening with the Funniest Man in Football ’ and promises a “chance to hear from one of the game’s most iconic personalities – live and unfiltered.”
Tuchel is the third foreign manager of England, following Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. He landed the job on the back of a CV which boasts the Premier League and Champions League titles with Chelsea, as well as league titles with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
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