'I'll be staying out of the way' - Southgate on World Cup punditry — Sport

Sir Gareth Southgate holds the finest record of any England manager since 1966 World Cup winner Sir Alf Ramsey

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Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate revealed he declined a role as a pundit at the World Cup, saying he felt it would not be "helpful" to the team's prospects.

Southgate stepped down from his role following England's loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

The 55-year-old managed England for 102 matches across eight years, leading 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 kicks off on Wednesday (21:00 BST) as they face Croatia in Arlington, Texas.

They will then play Ghana on Tuesday, 23 June (21:00 BST) and Panama on Saturday, 27 June (22:00 BST).

Sir Alf Ramsey, who won the 1966 World Cup, is the only other manager to have taken England's men's team to a major tournament final.

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Southgate oversaw England across four major tournaments, leading them to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2022.

He expressed his belief that England are "ready to win" a World Cup.

"Good luck to all the boys," Southgate said. "I know all the big knockout nights that we've had mean they are going to be full of confidence going into this tournament. They have overcome so many hurdles to winning - penalty shootouts, semi-finals, got so close - and they are ready to win.

"Hope everybody has a great month - and I'll be staying out of the way."

Earlier this week, England midfielder Jude Bellingham noted that "expectation" contributed to the Three Lions' squad not connecting "as well as it could" and that players "needed to feel loved" this summer.

Reflecting on their Euro 2024 campaign, Bellingham said: "We had done well in 2018 and done well in Qatar [for the 2022 World Cup], and when it came to that tournament we were seen as one of two or three teams that should win it.

"We were not playing particularly well so even when we were winning you didn't get the feeling you were as happy as you should be."

In a new BBC documentary, Southgate addresses the crisis he believes boys and young men are facing, and explores what is shaping the attitudes and outlook of this generation.

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