There are millions of people in Britain — and indeed London — who have Irish parents or grandparents, and England manager Lee Carsley is one of them; his grandmother came from Co. Cork. But most people with an Irish background manage to enjoy their dual nationality without much difficulty, including those who come from Northern Ireland.
The England team for the England-Ireland match on Saturday included Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, both of whom have played for Ireland and England and who, between them, scored the two winning goals.
Lee Carsley’s decision not to join in the England national anthem before the game was, in this context, a mistake. It looked churlish. He has previously declined to sing the Irish national anthem as a player but the reality is that he has far greater prominence as England manager than as one member of a team; his silence, advertised in advance, gave offence to a number of spectators.
There is an easy way round his dilemma, which is to join in the anthems of both nations with equal gusto. Granted, if he joins in the Irish national anthem, he will have to learn the words, in Irish, and it is painful to observe the members of the Irish team from England who simply do not know them. But it is possible; lots of people manage it. As for the English national anthem, he should know the words already.
For better or worse, national football is a source of patriotic pride; the fortunes of the national team can lift the spirits of the country. Football should be a source of unity, at least on a national level.
It is not too much to ask Carsley to join in the national anthem as well as the Irish anthem; it implies no disrespect to his Irish roots and it will encourage young people to follow his example. And having got that issue out of the way, he can just concentrate on the football.
