Lee Carsley shockingly admits he will NOT sing the national anthem when he takes charge of England against Ireland in Dublin… risking fan fury on his audition as interim manager
- Lee Carsley admitted he’s ‘always struggled’ with singing pre-game anthems
- His stance could lead to his supporters becoming enraged at his very first audition for the vacancy
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England’s interim manager Lee Carsley’s audition for the top job has been overshadowed after he made the shock admission that he has no intention of singing the national anthem.
Carsley will coach the national team in the opening match against Ireland in a six-match trial match, as he aims to become the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate.
But Carsley risked the wrath of England fans by claiming he will not sing God Save the King before the Nations League match in Dublin because he would be too focused on the match.
Carsley, who was born in Birmingham but played for the Republic of Ireland at international level, said: ‘This (singing the national anthem) is something I always struggled with when I played for Ireland.
“The gap between your warm-up, you come out on the pitch and the delay with the anthems. So that’s something I’ve never done before. I was always very focused on the game and my first actions of the game. I really noticed that in that period I was on guard that my mind was wandering.
England manager Lee Carsley has announced he will not sing the national anthem before his first match in charge against the Republic of Ireland, a confession likely to infuriate supporters
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 weekend’s match is the first of six matches in Carsley’s (center) audition to secure the top job
‘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.’
Meanwhile, sacked Euro 2024 stars Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish have started from the off. Carsley is also considering starting Anthony Gordon, while Trent Alexander-Arnold is finally set to play in his favoured right-back position.