Chelsea Coach Refuses To Comment On Russian War: “I’m Not A Politician”

Thomas Tuchel was the Chelsea F.C. skipper. The skipper of Chelsea F.C. is a well-known soccer coach in England’s Premier League. He has stated that he does not want to become a politician, and made this clear in an interview earlier this week.

Tuchel was in a press conference on Tuesday ahead of his side’s FA Cup match with Luton Town F.C., when he was peppered with questions about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. 

The reporters didn’t even have a chance to get a response from the German coach. He refused to answer any questions regarding the war.

🗣️”So, I even feel ashamed because it’s something I can talk about.

Thomas Tuchel, after being asked questions about Roman Abramovich’s war in Ukraine pic.twitter.com/8iR4jfjHcA

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 1, 2022

“How often do I need to say it? It’s horrible, of course, it’s horrible, there cannot be any other opinion about it,” Tuchel said. “Everybody in Europe has some noise in [their]It’s the head nobody wants. Maybe it’s the same for you, but you still try to do your job as good as possible and it’s the same for us.”

Roman Abramovich who is Russian, owns the club and has made the conflict more interesting. ESPN reported that Abramovich put the club up for sale so as to “separate the club from a possible personal sanction from the U.K. government” (he had also entrusted the care of the club to its trustees on Saturday). 

Related: Putin Stripped Of Honors From Two Martial Arts Organizations

Tuchel also said that his side can only hope to “distract” their fans from the conflict through playing soccer.

In light of all the swift condemnation of the war from athletes throughout the sports and the corresponding virtue signaling from plenty of others, Tuchel’s response might seem insensitive. Tuchel’s response might seem insensitive, but it may actually be one of the most well-thought out and thoughtful responses to war by any sportsperson.

Culture and politics often intersect with sport, so there’s a expectation that those we admire will offer some insight or help in navigating the many struggles our society faces. They may not realize that playing ball is often the most valuable thing they do.

Tuchel seems to understand that if he commented anything on the state of the club’s ownership or the war at large, he would provide no new take or insight on the situation and chose to keep his focus on coaching his highly successful squad. This is something the sport world needs more of.