England head coach Thomas Tuchel has secured a victory for his coaching staff in a row with Fifa over the positioning of photographers during national anthems. The issue first arose during England's 4-2 win over Croatia in the World Cup, where Tuchel claimed he 'could not see my team' due to a wall of photographers blocking his view to the pitch.
Tuchel's plea to Fifa was taken on board, and the organisation has introduced a compromise used at other tournaments. From now on, photographers will be allowed to group in a huddle, potentially closer to the halfway line, thereby reducing the obstruction for coaches.
Furthermore, coaching staff will no longer be required to remain in front of the dugouts, instead they will be permitted to move to the left or the right of the photographers for an unobstructed view of the squads around the centre circle.
While Fifa's changes aim to address Tuchel's concerns, it is unclear if this will be sufficient to assuage his worries. The Football Association is still awaiting discussions with Fifa over the issue.
The World Cup match in Dallas, where the issue first arose, was Tuchel's first as a World Cup manager. He revealed that the occasion, particularly the emotion of the national anthems, was spoiled due to the photographers' positioning.