Why England Manager Lee Carsley Won’t Sing The National Anthem

England interim manager, Lee Carsley, has explained why he does not sing God Save The King before games.

Carsley has been appointed as the interim successor to Gareth Southgate will lead his first match on Saturday night.

Incidentally, that first match comes away at rivals Republic of Ireland the national team Carsley represented as a player.

However, the former midfielder did not sing the Irish national anthem during their time on international duty as well. Before Saturday’s match at the Aviva Stadium, Carsley explained his stance.

“This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland. 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,” he said.

“I was always really focused on the game and my first actions of the game. I found that in that period I was wary about my mind wandering off. I was 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 is 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 respectful of.”

Following their match against Ireland, England will return home to Finland at Wembley on Tuesday