England manager Gareth Southgate resigns after final loss to Spain

UK (Commonwealth) _ After England suffered a devastating defeat in the final of the European Championship, their second consecutive defeat in the tournament’s title match, manager Gareth Southgate announced his resignation on Tuesday.

In Sunday’s major match in Berlin, England fell short 1-2 against Spain, and the 53-year-old Englishman announced following the match that he would talk about his future as the national team’s manager.

“Being an Englishman and managing and playing for my country has been the greatest honor of my life.” Southgate stated in a statement, “I have given it my all, and it has meant everything to me.”

But a fresh chapter and a change are needed. My final match as England manager was Sunday’s final versus Spain in Berlin. “I’ve had the honor of heading a sizable squad of men in 102 games. They have all been an asset to their nation in a variety of ways, and they have all been happy to wear the Three Lions on their jerseys.

Prince William of Britain, who leads the Football Association, expressed gratitude to Southgate for his leadership. He stated, “Thank you for building a team that in 2024 stands shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.”

“I want to thank you for demonstrating genuine leadership, humility, and compassion in the face of extreme pressure and criticism. And I appreciate you being a class act in every way. “You ought to feel tremendous pride in your accomplishments.”

Even though England advanced to the Euro 2024 final, their journey to Berlin was difficult since they had trouble finding the net and finished first in their group with just two goals. Enraged fans threw beer glasses and comments at Southgate, and his choice of squad was also questioned.

Even though they prevailed against the Netherlands with a last-minute goal and Switzerland on penalties, defeating Spain proved to be too much for them, and Southgate was gracious in his defeat, stating that the Iberian team deserved to be winners.

Among England’s previous managers, Southgate’s track record of leading his sides to the championship stages is unmatched. England will be “forever grateful” to Southgate and his assistant Steve Holland for everything that they have accomplished, according to FA CEO Mark Bullingham.

Before Gareth took over in 25 competitions after 1966, we were winners of seven knockout games, according to Bullingham. Nine of his four tournaments have been won by us. Hence, he has won more important games in his eight years than he did in the preceding fifty.

Our longest run in the top five globally before Gareth was seven months. We have been rated there for six years throughout his reign.

Bullingham stated that the FA is searching for a permanent replacement before their Nations League campaign begins in September, and that they have a “interim solution” in place in the event that they cannot find one.

With the exception of Sir Alf Ramsey, the 1966 World Cup champion, Southgate is the only manager to have guided the England men’s team to a major tournament final. In addition to leading England to four major tournament victories, he led the team to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup semifinals.

Between 1966 until Southgate’s appointment as national coach in 2016, England became victorious in six of the major championships. Nine such matches were won by England under Southgate, including two triumphs via penalty shootouts.

This summer, he came under increasing pressure from supporters who thought he was not getting the best performance possible from a gifted bunch of attackers. Following the 0-0 stalemate with Slovenia in the penultimate group stage match of Euro 2024, a few fans hurled plastic cups at him. But with their run to the final, he managed to bring many of them back.

According to Southgate, “the team we sent to Germany is full of vibrant young talent and they may lift the trophy we all dream of.” We have the world’s greatest fans, and I am really grateful for their support. I am and always will be an England supporter. As the players continue to make more unforgettable moments, connect with and inspire the country as we know they can, I look forward to watching and celebrating with them.

He said, “Thank you, England, for everything.”

According to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Southgate will be remembered for giving the nation the optimism and faith it had sorely missed for so long. He continued, saying, “He has carried the nation’s dreams with honor and dignity at every turn.”