Piers Morgan labels Liverpool fans who booed God Save the King as ‘pathetic’ after the national anthem was drowned out ahead of the Reds’ 1-0 win over Brentford on coronation day
- The anthem was widely booed ahead of Liverpool’s victory over Brentford
- It was played on the occasion of the coronation of King Charles III, but was drowned out
- Piers Morgan labels fans who don’t observe the anthem ‘pathetic’
Piers Morgan has labeled Liverpool fans who booed the national anthem on coronation day as ‘pathetic’.
God Save the King was drowned out by boos and chants at Anfield as it was played ahead of the Reds’ 1-0 win over Brentford to mark the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort.
The booing began immediately after the PA announcer confirmed that the national anthem would be played just before kickoff.
Chants of ‘Liverpool, Liverpool’ and loud boos drowned out the national anthem, which was heard only faintly.
Reds skipper Jordan Henderson appeared to sing along to the national anthem as a substitute, but most players of multiple nationalities decided to remain silent.
The anthem was drowned out by jeers ahead of the Liverpool vs Brentford game
Fans booed and sang Liverpool songs, while most players chose not to sing God Save the King
Morgan has lashed out at the fans who drowned out the anthem with a simple one-word tweet calling them “pathetic.”
After being criticized for his opinion, he clarified his position by adding: ‘Standing up for freedom of speech doesn’t mean agreeing with everything you hear.
“Liverpool fans have every right to shout the national anthem on Coronation Day, just as I have every right to call them pathetic for doing so.”
Fans were seen at Anfield with anti-monarchy banners, some reading ‘not my King’ in reference to legendary Liverpool striker ‘King Kenny’ Dalglish, while others said ‘you can hang your royals you are a* ** ‘
Clubs were not required to play the national anthem before kick-off, but the Merseyside club announced they would do so on Friday, expecting failure to do so could lead to national backlash.
Liverpool supporters observed a minute’s silence for Queen Elizabeth II after her death last September.
But the anthem had been jeered by some of their fans ahead of last season’s FA Cup final at Wembley.
Piers Morgan labels fans who don’t observe the anthem ‘pathetic’
He admitted they had the right to shout the national anthem, but reiterated his sentiments in a subsequent tweet
As Sportsmail’s Dominic King has explained, the history of Liverpool’s shouting of the anthem stems from a long-held anti-establishment sentiment in the city and a sense of belonging to the British government, rather than a distaste for individual members of the Royal family.
Jurgen Klopp’s side followed the anthem controversy with an important, if unconvincing, 1-0 win over Brentford, as Mohamed Salah scored the only goal of the game after 13 minutes.
The goal, Salah’s 100th at Anfield and 30th of the season, put Liverpool within one point of fourth-placed Manchester United, although they have played two more games.
Klopp’s men then come into action on May 15 when they take on Leicester, which is threatened with relegation.