“He's got that wrong”: Joe Hart disagrees with Thomas Tuchel’s furious referee rant after England win

Thomas Tuchel was left furious with the officiating despite England securing a famous 3-2 victory over Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.

The Three Lions overcame a second-half red card for Jarell Quansah and a controversial Mexico penalty to book their place in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals.

However, former England goalkeeper Joe Hart believes Tuchel was wrong to hit out so strongly at the officials after the game.

What did Thomas Tuchel say about the referee after England's win over Mexico?

The German launched a scathing attack on referee Alireza Faghani and the wider officiating team following England's dramatic victory.

The main source of the England boss' frustration was Mexico's second-half penalty, which came just ten minutes after Harry Kane had scored from the spot at the other end.

Kane was penalised for catching Brian Gutierrez on the back of the leg while challenging for a dropping ball. Faghani initially allowed play to continue, only to overturn his decision after being advised by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.

"It's just not good enough," Tuchel said to reporters after the match. "The referees are just not good enough, fourth officials are just not good enough. That's the bottom line.

"Three people in the VAR from South America in a match like this, if this is correct, VAR overturns... is this a clear and obvious error for the penalty? For sure not.

"They overturned a situation where he doesn't even give a foul. Referees just not good enough, fourth officials just not good enough."

Is Thomas Tuchel right to be angry at Alireza Faghani?

Tuchel is entitled to question the decision-making process behind Mexico's penalty, particularly given the threshold VAR is supposed to meet before recommending an on-field review.

Kane certainly made contact with Gutierrez, but the incident was soft, and Faghani had a clear view of the challenge before initially deciding not to award a penalty. Whether that original call amounted to a 'clear and obvious' error is certainly debatable.

However, Tuchel's criticism of the overall officiating performance feels a tad excessive, on a night when England were so impressive.

And former England goalkeeper Hart instantly disagreed with the Three Lions boss, speaking on the BBC's live coverage: "I think he has got that wrong. I don't know why he has gone so hard on that after such an impressive performance.

"I get it, against all the odds, the red card and the penalties, but I don't think they were borderline decisions. I thought they were decent decisions in the end."

Hart does have a point. Quansah's red card was deserved, while there was enough contact from Kane to make Mexico's penalty somewhat defensible, even if the VAR intervention itself remains questionable.

Tuchel's frustration is understandable after an emotional and chaotic knockout tie, but England ultimately overcame those decisions to produce a special victory.

The performance and resilience of his players should perhaps be the bigger talking point than an officiating display that, while imperfect, was not quite as disastrous as the England boss suggested.