England’s interim manager Lee Carsley risked anger from fans when he decided not to sing the national anthem during the Three Lions’ match against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
Carsley took his first seat in the dugout as England manager at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday for the Nations League season opener.
The match is expected to mark the start of a six-game trial period for Carsley, which could lead to him being promoted permanently as head coach of the Under-21 team.
Carsley, who was born in Birmingham but plays for the Republic of Ireland at senior international level, had confirmed before the match that he would not be singing God Save the King.
The 50-year-old insisted he was too focused on the game ahead and he kept his word on Saturday afternoon, staring straight ahead as the national anthem was booed loudly by the home fans.
Carsley (second from left) admitted he struggles with singing national anthems before matches
Carsley was born in Birmingham and represented the Republic of Ireland at international level
“This (singing the national anthem) is something I always struggled with when I played for Ireland,” Carsley said on Friday.
‘The gap between your warm-up, you come out on the field and the delay with the anthems. So it’s something I’ve never done before.
‘I was always very focused on the game and my first actions in the game. I noticed that during that period I was really on my guard that my mind would wander.
‘I was really focused on football and I took that into my coaching.
‘We also had the national anthem with the Under 21s and I’m in a zone at that moment. I’m thinking about how the opponent is going to position themselves and our first actions in the match.
‘I have great respect for both anthems and realize how much they mean to both countries.’
Former England international Mark Wright claimed he ‘doesn’t understand where Carsley is coming from’.
Wright wrote in Mail Sport that it felt patriotic to sing the national anthem during his 45-match international career.
He compared this to the pride Carsley’s predecessor Gareth Southgate showed when singing the national anthem, stating that ‘deep down supporters want an England manager who sings the anthem as proudly as his players.’
Carsley (centre) had not previously sung the national anthem as head coach of the England Under-21 team
“You have to accept other people’s points of view, but ideally it would be better if everyone showed their feelings to the country, including the manager,” Wright wrote.
‘I believe so. It’s a sensitive subject these days. We’re all built differently.
‘Perhaps Lee does not want to show disrespect to the Irish team he once played for.
‘He took a stand because he didn’t think he would get a chance as a player in the England team. In life you have to respect other people’s decisions.’
talkSPORT presenter Jamie O’Hare went one step further, claiming Carsley had ‘lost the whole country’ before a ball had even been kicked.
“What do people think about Carsley not wanting to sing the national anthem?” O’Hara began.
“That’s fine with me, see you later then. You just lost the entire nation before you even kicked a ball. Thanks for coming, Lee.”