Harry Redknapp breaks silence on Thomas Tuchel ‘joke’ after ‘German spy’ comments | OneFootball

Harry Redknapp says calling England manager Thomas Tuchel a “German spy” was a joke that “badly backfired”.

Redknapp, 78, was filmed making the comments to a crowd at a charity event last month.

In the video, Redknapp calls Tuchel a “German spy.... sent over to f--- us up”, with his comments met with laughter from the audience.

The former Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Portsmouth manager also appeared to make a Nazi salute while talking about Tuchel in the video.

(The Guardian)

Redknapp was asked about the incident in an interview with Al Arabiya in Dubai, and said: “No, don't go there.

“Oh my god, it was a joke, you know, that badly backfired. But it was only a joke.

“Hopefully he [Tuchel] can do well with the England team. He managed a lot of the players at Chelsea.”

Tuchel is the first German manager of the England team and third foreign head coach of the men’s side, after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

In the interview with Al Arabiya, Redknapp went on to say that Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe would have been “perfect” as England manager.

“I'm sure if the England job came up, he wouldn't be able to turn it down and I'm sure that will happen eventually,” Redknapp said.

“In this particular time, we needed to look for a manager and Tuchel was available. And he's got a very good track record.”