England interim manager Lee Carsley is not planning to sing the national anthem before his first match in charge against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
Carsley claimed he had never sung the national anthem during his career as a player for the Republic of Ireland or as manager of the England Under-21s.
The 50-year-old, who succeeded Gareth Southgate as Three Lions boss while the FA searches for a permanent manager, is set to continue that policy at the Aviva Stadium.
The former Everton midfielder, who represented Ireland 40 times as a player, said Saturday’s opening Nations League clash would be a “proud moment for me and my family”.
But singing “God Save the King” before the start of the match will not be on his agenda, as he prefers to focus on his tactics in the last moments before the match.
“This is something I always struggled with when I played for Ireland,” the England-born coach told reporters on Friday.
“The gap between the warm-up, you coming on the pitch and the delay in the anthem. So that’s something I’ve never done,” he continued. “I’ve always been really focused on the game and my first actions in the game. I really found that in that period I was careful about my mind wandering.”
He added: “I think about what the opponent prepared for us and our first actions during the match.”
“I have complete respect for both national anthems, and I understand how important they are to both countries. It’s something I really respect,” he added.
Related News :