England interim manager Lee Carsley has said that he will not sing the British national anthem before the clash against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.
The Nations League Group B2 opener in Dublin marks the start of a new era for both teams, with former Iceland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson taking charge of the hosts for the first time against a side starting life without Gareth Southgate.
England’s long-serving manager stepped down shortly after July’s Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain in Berlin and Under-21 coach Carsley was handed the reins on a temporary basis as the Football Association (FA) weighs up its options.
The 50-year-old said the Aviva Stadium clash will be a “proud moment for myself and my family”, but singing ‘God Save the King’ looks out of the question for a man that represented the Republic of Ireland 40 times as player.
“This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland,” Birmingham-born Carsley - who qualified to play for Ireland through his grandmother - 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 Under-21s 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.”
