Former football manager Harry Redknapp has broken his silence after calling England boss Thomas Tuchel a "German spy", admitting the joke "badly backfired".
The 78-year-old made the controversial comments at a charity event last month, where he was secretly filmed suggesting Tuchel had been "sent over to f*** us up".
In an interview with Al Arabiya in Dubai, Redknapp addressed the incident, saying: "Oh my god, it was a joke, you know, that badly backfired. But it was only a joke."
The former Tottenham, West Ham and Portsmouth manager has now expressed hope that Tuchel can succeed with the national team.
Harry Redknapp admitted his Thomas Tuchel joke 'badly backfired'
PA
Footage obtained by The Guardian showed Redknapp making the comments to an audience who responded with laughter.
In the video, he said: "I'll be honest with you, I think he's a German spy. I'm telling you, seriously, he's been sent over to f*** us up."
Redknapp continued by comparing Tuchel to Lord Haw Haw, saying: "He's like Lord Haw Haw in the war – 'We have your best soldiers captured' and all that."
The former manager also appeared to make a Nazi salute during his remarks about Tuchel, who is the first German to manage England and the third foreign head coach after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
Redknapp told Al Arabiya: "Hopefully he [Tuchel] can do well with the England team. He managed a lot of the players at Chelsea.
"He's certainly got talent at his disposal. We've got some fantastic young players in this country at the moment."
Tuchel has made a promising start to his England tenure, securing a 2-0 victory over Albania followed by a 3-0 win against Latvia in his first two matches.
Redknapp had previously expressed admiration for former England boss Gareth Southgate, saying: "I liked Gareth Southgate, I liked him a lot, but we should have won something."
In the same interview, Redknapp suggested Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe would have been a more suitable choice for the England role.
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Harry Redknapp joked about Thomas Tuchel at a charity eventGuardian"I'm sure if the England job came up, he wouldn't be able to turn it down and I'm sure that will happen eventually," Redknapp said of Howe, whom he described as "perfect" for the national team position.
Despite his preference for an English manager, Redknapp acknowledged the timing of the appointment and Tuchel's credentials.
"In this particular time, we needed to look for a manager and Tuchel was available. And he's got a very good track record," he conceded.
Redknapp himself will return to the England dugout for the upcoming Soccer Aid charity match at Old Trafford.
