LEE CARSLEY HAS come under pressure from sections of England’s media after indicating that he will not sing either the Irish or English national anthems in the Aviva Stadium this evening.
Carsley, who takes charge of England for the first time in Saturday’s Nations League opener against Ireland, said that he has never sung a national anthem as Ireland player or England coach and is set to stick with that stance.
The 50-year-old says the Dublin clash will be a “proud moment for myself and my family”, but singing either anthem looks out of the question for a player that represented Ireland 40 times as player.
“This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland,” Birmingham-born Carsley said of anthems.
“The gap between your warm-up, your coming on to the pitch and the delay with the anthems. So it’s something that I have never done.
“I was always really focused on the game and my first actions of the game. I really found that in that period I was wary about my mind wandering off.
“I was really focused on the football and I have taken that in to coaching.
“We had the national anthem with the U21s also and I am in a zone at that point.
“I am thinking about how the opposition are going to set up and our first actions within the game.
“I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries. It’s something I am really respectful of.”
Carsley’s comments provoked a backlash in Saturday’s papers, most notably in the Daily Telegraph where chief football correspondent Jason Burt argued that “if Carsley doesn’t sing [the] anthem, he can’t expect to manage England”.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail’s front page splash describes the “disbelief and anger” at Carsley’s position, while journalist Jeff Powell branded it a “betrayal”.
TELEGRAPH SPORT: If Carsley doesn’t sing anthem he can’t expect to manage England #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/mzwdZhFm4w
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) September 6, 2024
MAIL: NONE of our attack submarines at sea #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/n1IXc3W4ED
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) September 6, 2024
STAR SPORT: On lee sing when we’re winning #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/utGazs8oPA
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) September 6, 2024
EXPRESS SPORT: Quiet coach #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/c16GYxKOpp
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) September 6, 2024
MIRROR SPORT: Lions in the quiet #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/2QwOKd8p60
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) September 6, 2024
