England interim manager Lee Carsley has said he will not be singing the British national anthem before his side take on the Republic of Ireland on Saturday.
The 50-year-old was born in Birmingham in the UK but represented Ireland during his playing career through his grandmother, who is from County Cork.
Speaking in a news conference ahead of his first match in charge of the Three Lions, Carsley said he would never sing the Irish national anthem during his playing days and will not be changing his ways during his coaching career.
Carsley said: “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.
“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.
“I was really focused on the football and I have taken that in to coaching.”
Carsley holds a training session ahead of Saturday’s tie. Pic: Reuters
Carsley added that he never sang the national anthem during his three years as manager of the England Under-21s before stepping up to the senior side on an interim basis.
The former Derby County and Everton midfielder said that during the anthems he prefers to be “thinking about how the opposition are going to set up and our first actions within the game”.
He added: “I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries. It’s something I am really respectful of.”
The Nations League opener at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin marks a new era for the England national side as it comes weeks after Gareth Southgate stepped down as manager.
His decision came shortly after England’s loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final – with Carsley handed the reins on a temporary basis as the Football Association weighs up its options.
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Carsley playing for the Republic of Ireland against Slovakia in 2007. Pic: Reuters
Carsley was free to take up the position after he rejected an offer to manage the Republic of Ireland national team in March.
He has picked Declan Rice and Jack Grealish to be in the squad for Saturday’s clash, with both players having previously represented the Republic of Ireland at international level.
Asked if he has any concerns about playing them at the Aviva Stadium, Carsley said: “No, not all.
“We spoke – not only (to) Jack and Declan, to the whole squad – we spoke about the atmosphere we expect it to be.
“Exciting, passionate, loud, but it’ll be no different to what the players are used to in Premier League games or high level games. I think they’ll be ready for whatever comes out.”
The match also marks the start of a new era for the Republic of Ireland, with Icelandic football manager Heimir Hallgrimsson taking charge of the side for the first time.