England interim manager Lee Carsley has announced that he will not sing the English national anthem before the start of the match against Ireland in the European Nations League.
Lee Carsley, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s temporary successor until the end of next autumn, is of Irish origin and has played 39 times for the Republic of Ireland.
But that is not the reason behind his decision not to sing the national anthem, but rather attributed it to sporting reasons.
Carsley said in media statements: “I always struggled with singing the national anthem when I was playing for the Republic of Ireland.”
He added: “There is a gap between warming up and going on the pitch and the delay in the national anthem, so I never sing it because I want to focus on the game only.”
He concluded: “I respect both national anthems, but I want to protect myself from distraction, so I did not sing the anthem as a player and I will do so as a coach.”
