Former Irish international, England manager refuses to sing God Save The King in Dublin

“Singing the anthem was something I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland,” Lee Carsley had confided in a press conference. On Saturday, the former Irish international and interim England coach returned to Dublin with the Three Lions and saw his team win thanks to goals from Rice and Grealish (2-0). A match counting for the first day of the Nations League. A victory that followed a remarkable sequence.

Before kick-off, Carsley did not sing God Save The King. A habit taken up for years.The gap between warming up, coming on to the pitch and the anthem is something I’ve always struggled with. I was very focused on the game, on my first actions. So singing the anthem is something I’ve never done, including as a coach when I was England U21 coach (between 2021 and 2024). Before kick-off, I’m in a bubble, thinking about how the opponent is going to set up and our first actions in the game,” he explained.

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