)
Lee Carsley has explained why he will not sing England's national anthem
Interim manager Lee Carsley has made headlines with his decision not to sing the British national anthem, "God Save the King," before the match.
The game, set to take place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, marks a new chapter for both teams, with former Iceland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson making his debut for Ireland and Carsley stepping in for Gareth Southgate, who departed following England's Euro 2024 defeat.
Carsley, who is originally from Birmingham but represented the Republic of Ireland 40 times during his playing career, has chosen to remain silent during the anthem.
)
09:00 - 07.09.2024
Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat blames referee for drub draw against Zimbabwe
Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat criticized poor refereeing in a 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe in the AFCON qualifiers held in Uganda.
The 50-year-old explained his decision, revealing that it stems from his long-standing approach to focusing solely on the game.
Reflecting on his playing days, Carsley noted that he always found the period between the warm-up, the anthems, and the start of the match to be challenging.
He described how he struggled with keeping his concentration during this time and preferred to use it to mentally prepare for the game.
"It’s something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland," Carsley said. "I was 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."
)
07:30 - 07.09.2024
Harambee Stars coach on why he never started a striker in frustrating stalemale against Zimbabwe
Firat has explained why he never started with a striker in the absence of Michael Olunga during their 0-0 draw with Zimbabwe on Friday.
Carsley has carried this mindset into his coaching career. "I’m in a zone at that point," he explained, referring to his focus on tactics and the opposition’s setup rather than participating in the anthem.
Despite his personal decision, Carsley emphasized his respect for both national anthems and acknowledges their significance to both nations.
While he will not join in singing the anthem, his dedication to the team's performance remains unwavering and will be closely monitored by the English fans.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)