World Cup icon Davor Suker has slammed Thomas Tuchel as 'unimportant' and accused him of 'talking nonsense' after the England manager claimed his team 'don't want to play' the Bronze match against France.
Tuchel's comments spark backlash
England face France in Miami at 10pm UK time tonight in the third-place play-off, rebranded by FIFA as the Bronze match. The game offers England a chance to record their best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966. However, hype is low after both teams lost their semi-finals—England to Argentina and France to Spain.
Ahead of the match, Tuchel said: 'None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match. They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that.' He later softened his stance, expressing a desire to end the tournament on a high, but the initial remarks have drawn sharp criticism.
Suker: 'The rich don't want to play when they lose'
Davor Suker, who led Croatia to third place at the 1998 World Cup and won the Golden Boot, told Goal.com: 'I think the rich don't want to play when they lose. Some have so many trophies and are so rich that this match means nothing to them. My message to them is to be quiet, to respect all 211 participants, and to understand that the world doesn't belong only to them. The world also belongs to the medium-sized nations, the small ones, and those who simply enjoy football.'
Suker scored the winning goal in the 1998 third-place play-off against the Netherlands, securing the bronze medal and the Golden Boot ahead of Ronaldo. He emphasised the lasting value of the achievement: 'After 1998 and the game against the Netherlands, we fought for third place, and today I can speak about it with pride. Whoever wins third place, I assure you that in 20 years, when they are older, they will certainly remember that bronze medal.'
Golden Boot implications
England stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are both two goals behind France's Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot. Mbappe trails Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who has eight goals and four assists with the final still to play. A strong performance in the Bronze match could see Kane or Bellingham leapfrog Mbappe and potentially claim the top scorer award.
Suker added: 'This match can be very important. That's why, in this whole story, coach Tuchel isn't important. He's talking nonsense.'
