According to an exclusive report by the British media outlet The Daily Telegraph, former England manager Gareth Southgate will be in attendance at the World Cup final, and his schedule will not be altered by England's elimination from the tournament.
The report states that Southgate will attend Sunday's World Cup final, a trip he had planned earlier, and it is unrelated to England's semi-final result.
It is understood that Southgate had already reached an agreement to give a speech at a private party in the suburbs of New York City before the final.
Since stepping down as England manager two years ago, he has been working as a guest speaker, which has been well-received by corporate clients who can guarantee confidentiality.
In a video released before the World Cup began, Southgate wished the players and the FA good luck and promised not to cause any trouble. His assessment of the final is likely that if England advances, his presence will have little impact compared to this crucial match for England.
However, England's defeat to Argentina in Atlanta, where they conceded two goals, shifted public attention back to the Football Association and Southgate's successor, Tuchel. Southgate has never responded to the German coach's assessment of his style of management upon taking over the England team—that Southgate's approach had robbed the team of its distinctive character. Southgate will be watching Argentina play Spain, who defeated his England team in the 2024 European Championship final.
After stepping down as manager, the 55-year-old Gareth Southgate held high-paying positions at a media company and a real estate development firm. He served on the boards of several publicly traded companies that managed his affairs, including his work at UEFA and a teaching position at Harvard Business School.
Gareth Southgate has stated that he doesn't see his future in management, although he would consider offers from title-winning clubs. He is highly regarded by Sir Dave Brelesford, a key figure at INEOS, and played an active role in the early stages of Sir Ratcliffe's energy group's takeover of Manchester United. Brelesford has a close relationship with Southgate's de facto agent, Jimmy Vollard, but his ties to Manchester United have diminished considerably.
His media company launched a podcast called "The Board," co-hosted by Christian Perslow, a former executive at Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool, and journalist Henry Winter, which explores financial and political topics in football.
Gareth Southgate stated that this is the first time in his seven World Cup appearances that he has not attended the event as a player, commentator, or "scout." He said he "consciously decided" not to accept commentator invitations to avoid putting pressure on the team.
No one knows better than Southgate how unwelcome opinions from acquaintances can be in the context of the World Cup. After all, it was Lineker who sparked internal discord by describing Southgate's team's performance against Denmark in the Euro 2024 group stage as "a pile of shit."
Therefore, as football's top "diplomat," Southgate chose to remain silent. After his team's all-too-familiar self-destructive performance in the semi-final against Argentina, he might have offered some words of encouragement. But in the brief pre-match video message, Southgate made it clear: "I don't want anything to be misinterpreted."
Whether by chance or design, maintaining a low profile has become Gareth Southgate's style over the past two years. No modern England manager has stayed away from the bench for such a long time since stepping down. This most successful manager of England since Sir Aaron Arramsay may finally be approaching the three-year break the World Cup-winning coach took to recover from injury.
