Why England boss Lee Carsley will NOT sing God Save the King national anthem in Dublin
England's interim manager Lee Carsley will remain silent when God Save the King is played ahead of his first match in charge, against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin
Lee Carsley won’t sing the national anthem before England play the Republic of Ireland on Saturday evening because he wants to focus on the football.
Carsley will take charge of his first match in Dublin since stepping up from Under-21s manager to replace Gareth Southgate. The Nations League match is charged with narrative as Carsley heads back to the country he represented 40 times during his playing career, with former Ireland players Jack Grealish and Declan Rice in his squad.
Carsley, who was born in Birmingham but qualified for Ireland through his grandmother, never sang the national anthem as a player. Nor has he during his successful spell as England Under-21 boss, whom he lead to European Championship glory in 2023. The 50-year-old has vowed to stay silent during God Save the King ahead of the 5pm kick-off at the Aviva Stadium, even if it sparks a backlash.
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"This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland," Carsley explained. "The gap between your warm-up, you 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 into coaching.
"We had the national anthem with the Under-21s also and I am in a zone at that point. I am thinking about how the opposition are gonna 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."
Asked if he would ever sing the national anthem, he said he wouldn’t. Carsley did not sing the anthem when he led the U21s to European Championship success last year, but the senior job comes with much more scrutiny.
His words have sparked something of a backlash, with comment pieces in a number of newspapers insisting he should not get the role in a full-time capacity unless he changes his mind. Nevertheless, he remains well-regarded by those who matter at the FA, with chief executive Mark Bullingham saying he was "a very strong interim solution" when confirming his appointment in August.
Carsley isn’t the only person in the spotlight in Dublin, with Grealish and Rice also set for some awkward moments as England and Ireland face each other for the first time since 2020. Grealish represented Ireland at Under-21 level before changing to England, while Rice made three appearances for the senior team of his grandparents’ birth before switching to England in 2019.
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