England manager Lee Carsley says he won't sing national anthem at opening match against Republic of Ireland
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Carsley’s first match in charge of the Three Lions will see his team take on Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men in Dublin on Saturday evening (September 7) in England’s first match of the Nations League B2 fixtures. However, while he is keen to make an impression on the pitch, the new gaffer has revealed that he will not be joining in with a rousing chorus of ‘God Save The King’ before kick-off.
The Birmingham-born ex-England U21’s coach, who made 40 international appearances for the Republic of Ireland during his playing career, said that “it’s something I have never done”. He said: “This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland.
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Hide Ad“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.”


He said that he will continue to be “focused on football” while the anthem plays, adding: “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.”
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Hide AdHowever, the 50-year-old coach, who took over after Gareth Southgate stepped down following England’s Euro 2024 defeat, said the occasion at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium will be a “proud moment for my family and myself”. Carsley added: “It’s been a really hectic couple of weeks trying to get my head around the magnitude of the job.
“I think its fair to say the job that Gareth and Steve [Holland] did, and the position that I’m picking the current squad up in is a totally different position than what they inherited. I think the expectation around the squad and the players is really exciting.”
The Three Lions will kick-off their Nations League B2 group opening game against Ireland at 5pm on Saturday, September 7. Carlsey named his squad including stalwarts Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka, while also recalling stars such as Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire after they were cut from the Euro 2024 squad. Carlsey also handed caps to up-and-coming players including Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke.
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