Ben White refused to tell Thomas Tuchel why he walked out on England

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Evening Standard

·26 de março de 2026

Ben White refused to tell Thomas Tuchel why he walked out on England

Arsenal defender left England camp during the last World Cup, in 2022, and has only now returned

Ben White chose not to explain why he walked out on England during the last World Cup, but Thomas Tuchel insists the defender “deserves a second chance”.

White was this week recalled to the England team after four years of a self-imposed international wilderness, following Jarell Quansah’s withdrawal through injury.

The Arsenal defender’s involvement in the England setup, for the first time since 2022, has been met with controversy.

The defender left the 2022 World Cup squad during the Qatar tournament and has not made himself available for England since. His four caps were all earned between 2021 and 2022.

Tuchel has tried and failed to find out why White removed himself from contention, but suggests the player may need to “clear the air” with some players.

Vídeos OneFootball

“If you believe it or not, I didn’t hear a story about it,” Tuchel said of White’s 2022 dropout.

“I asked him and he didn’t want to speak about it. I didn’t want to know about it because I think he deserves a second chance.”

“I want to give him a second chance,” Tuchel added. “He has not put a foot wrong with me.

“Something must have happened, because if a player leaves from a tournament it’s never good and it can never be nothing. I’m not sure if ‘apologise’ is the right word, but maybe [he] just [needs] to clear the air with the players who were there.

“I think he has done and will do with the majority of the players who come now. He trains on a very high level, exceptionally good in training. The reaction to his call-up was very positive.

“Within seconds, it was a very positive and emotional reaction from him. He made it very clear how delighted he is to be back. This is what he has shown in the last days. Everyone deserves a second chance, but I don’t even know if he did something wrong or what exactly happened. But an explanation among the players who were there, to clear the air, is sure in progress.”

Tuchel says he expects England fans at matches against Uruguay and Japan this week to “support” White “because he plays for England and we play in a positive moment.”

Tuchel added: “I can imagine there are some strong opinions out there [about White’s recall], but [not from anyone] in camp.

“People have to trust me that he behaves very, very well. He was positive about coming back and was desperate for many months to come back. Hopefully people give him a fair chance.”