England's interim manager Lee Carsley declines singing national anthem before Republic of Ireland showdown

Lee Carsley stood his ground and declined to sing the national anthem before leading England in their match against the Republic of Ireland. He mentioned that he has never partaken in that pre-match tradition and chose to uphold his personal beliefs.

Carsley was unveiled as England’s interim manager for the Three Lions’ Nations League double-header after Gareth Southgate stepped down from the role following defeat in the final of Euro 2024.

It remains to be seen how long Carsley will remain in the job, but the 50-year-old has two games strengthen his case, first away to the Republic of Ireland this afternoon followed by clash with Finland at Wembley on Tuesday evening.

Today’s Nations League contest is especially significant for Carsley given the former Everton midfielder won 40 caps for the Republic of Ireland as a player, qualifying for the country through his grandmother.

It was a hostile atmosphere ahead of kick-off as Declan Rice and Jack Grealish – who have both previously represented Ireland – were on the receiving end of loud boos. Derogatory banners aimed at the duo were also pictured in the stands at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

And the booing continued as God Save the King rang out in the Irish capital, with a stony-faced Carsley appearing to remain tight-lipped for the entirety of the anthem.

While Carsley’s decision not to sing England’s national anthem could be seen as a mark of respect for the nation he represented between 1997 and 2008, he revealed in his pre-match press conference that he had never joined in with the tradition.

‘This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland,’ said Carsley.

‘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.’

England captain Harry Kane is not expecting a friendly reception in Dublin, although he could have been wearing green rather than white if his career had panned out differently.

‘It’s going to be a tough game – the atmosphere will be tough,’ he said. ‘We are going into a place where we expect it to be a little bit hostile but that is no different to a lot of away games we face.

‘My grandparents are Irish but the way my career went with the England youth teams and the 21s and the first team, Ireland wasn’t something that was really given much thought or even came across the desk.’

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