September 7th 2024.
Lee Carsley, the current England manager, will not be singing the national anthem tonight before the game against Republic of Ireland. As he takes over on an interim basis for Gareth Southgate, Carsley is a former Ireland international himself, having represented the Boys in Green 40 times.
Although Carsley is proud of his Irish heritage, he has a simple reason for not singing 'God Save the King' or Ireland's Amhrán na bhFiann during his playing days. He explains, "This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland. The gap between the warm-up and coming onto the pitch, along with the delay for the anthems, made it difficult for me to focus on the game. So I have never done it."
Carsley's focus on the game has carried over into his coaching career. He has a deep respect for both anthems and understands their significance to both countries. He says, "I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries. It's something I am really respectful of."
Carsley is not alone in his decision to forgo the pre-match ritual. Former England player Gary Neville also refused to sing 'God Save the Queen' during Euro 1996, his first major competition at the international level. His reasoning was similar to Carsley's, as he wanted to keep his mind on the game at hand. Neville explains, "I didn't sing it the first time I played for England, partly because I thought 'I'm serious about my work and I'm not singing before a game'. I said 'I'm not being told by some suits what to do'."
Neville was further annoyed when he was told by then-FA chief Geoff Thompson that he must sing the anthem. Neville recalls, "He [Thompson] only ever sought out one conversation with me. Did he want to pick my brains on World Cup preparation? Or ask how the FA could help behind the scenes? No, Mr Thompson wanted to know why I didn't sing the National Anthem. 'Gary, we'd rather appreciate it if you joined in', he said. I had to politely explain that no disrespect was intended, I preferred to spend those few minutes, as I'd done all my career, focusing on the match. And that was the extent of my dealings with the chairman of the FA."
Even current England players have chosen not to sing the national anthem. In 2022, Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold remained silent before the Nations League defeat to Hungary, which fell on the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend. However, manager Gareth Southgate joked about it, saying, "No, I don't think Gary Neville ever sang it. It must be a right-back thing."
Another notable player who opted not to sing the national anthem was Wayne Rooney, the Manchester United and Three Lions legend. He won 120 caps between 2003 and 2018, but for the first half of his international career, he did not sing the anthem because he did not know the words. He admits, "I used to hate singing it. Still do. Mainly because I'm hideously bad. I don't understand why it's important."
The debate over singing the national anthem is not limited to English football. In 2015, a similar situation arose in the world of cricket when Dublin-born Eoin Morgan, who had opted out of singing the anthem for six years, was named England captain. He continued to opt out for personal reasons. Piers Morgan, among others, was outraged, but former striker Gary Lineker came to Morgan's defense, admitting that he also hated singing the anthem. Lineker tweeted, "I used to hate singing it. Still do. Mainly because I'm hideously bad. I don't understand why it's important."
The debate also extends to other countries, such as Germany. In 2018, Mesut Ozil made headlines for not singing 'Deutschlandlied', explaining that he preferred to spend those final moments before kick-off in prayer. He said, "While the anthem is being played, I pray, and I am sure that this will give us strength and confidence to drive the victory home."
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