England’s interim manager Lee Carsley has intimated that he will not be singing the national anthem as his team takes on Ireland in the Nations League in Dublin today – his first game in charge. Carsley is at least being consistent in this, he similarly demurred as a player for Ireland and when he was England’s under-21 coach. This clearly isn’t just an aversion to the admittedly dirge-like ‘God Save the King’. But whether he joins in with his team today is a bit more of an issue.
Is it too much to ask to belt out a few verses of ‘God Save the King’?
Carsley has defended his career long anthem-phobia, saying he needs to ‘focus’ on the game ahead, and maintain his concentration. The Birmingham-born coach, who won 40 caps for Ireland and played for six English clubs before his stint with the under-21s, said that he respects the anthem but in his previous jobs was always ‘wary’ about his mind ‘wandering off’ in the build up to kick-off.
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