England’s interim football manager has found himself at the centre of a row about God Save The King.
Lee Carsley takes charge of the Three Lions for their UEFA Nations League match against the Republic of Ireland – a team he represented 40 times in his own playing career. Born in Birmingham, he’s Irish with a strong Celtic heritage.
He’s spoken previously of the debate he had with himself about taking coaching roles with England. But ahead of his biggest game with the team, he was asked whether he would sing ‘God Save The King’ before kick off and had a very definite answer – no.
However, the response was more layered than those just looking for a row might have liked. He explained that his focus is such that as the beginning of any competitive match approaches, he has his mind completely on the game in hand. He said he wouldn’t be singing any anthem in Dublin.
‘God Save The King’ is particularly polemic in Dublin, seen as a symbol of British rule which ended in the early part of the 20th century. It was adopted as the British anthem in the 18th century and is focused on royal rule as a symbol of national strength.
The England team has used the anthem for decades although other constituent parts of the UK have different songs. Scotland uses ‘Flower of Scotland’ while Wales has ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’, known in English as ‘Land of My Fathers’.
Two of England’s star players are also in the spotlight for this match in Dublin. Jack Grealish played three games for the Republic of Ireland before switching to England while Declan Rice represented the country at youth level before deciding to play for the Three Lions as a senior.
This is only the second time that England have played the Republic of Ireland in Dublin since 1995 when English fans started a riot at Landsdowne Road and the match had to be suspended.
The Republic of Ireland play England in Dublin at 17.00 on September 6th 2024.
