Gareth Southgate has announced that he will be leaving his role as England manager after 102 games at the helm.
He revealed his decision to quit in a statement issued by the Football Association on Tuesday morning, following the team’s defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday night.
“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all,” he said.
After 102 games and almost eight years in charge, Gareth Southgate has announced he is to leave his role as manager of the #ThreeLions.
— England (@England) July 16, 2024
“But it’s time for change, and for a new chapter. Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager.”
Southgate took charge in 2016, following the team’s ignominious exit to Iceland in that summer’s Euros and the short-lived reign of Sam Allardyce.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham paid tribute to Southgate’s achievements in leading England to successive Euros finals, as well as to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in his first tournament at the helm.
Bullingham indicated the process to find Southgate’s successor “is now under way” and said the FA had an “interim solution in place if needed”, with the team’s next matches coming in the Nations League in September.
Southgate himself backed his players to go on and “win the trophy we all dream of” in the future.
“I am so proud of them, and I hope we get behind the players and the team at St George’s Park and the FA who strive every day to improve English football and understand the power football has to drive positive change,” he continued.
“My special thanks go to the backroom staff who have provided the players and me with unstinting support over the last eight years. Their hard work and commitment inspired me every day and I am so grateful to them – the brilliant ‘team behind the team’.
“We have the best fans in the world, and their support has meant the world to me. I’m an England fan and I always will be.”
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
