Lee Carsley told he 'must' sing national anthem before England games as interim boss snubs God Save the King ahead of Republic of Ireland victory

Three Lions caretaker boss Carsley opted out of singing God Save the King before England beat the Republic of Ireland 2-0 in their Nations League opener on Saturday. Now, former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has insisted that it is a non-negotiable for the Three Lions manager to sing the national anthem - whether they are English or not.

He said, via The Sun: "As a proud Englishman and a patriot, I do think singing the national anthem is important. I always love to see players and managers belting it out, whatever the sport. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, for me if you’re in charge of an English team, you should sing it. In 99 per cent of circumstances, at least.

“I accept that on this occasion Lee did have a problem and was maybe stuck in the middle of things. Not just as a former Republic of Ireland player, but because there was maybe even more emotion than usual on this one after the trouble there’s been in the past. But while that made it understandable this time, when it comes to a ‘regular’ game, against, say, Spain, France or whoever, it’s a must. As England manager, singing the anthem is a must — whoever you are and wherever you’re from.”

Although Carsley was born in Birmingham, he racked up 40 caps for the Republic of Ireland during his playing career. The 50-year-old hasn't sung the United Kingdom's national anthem in the three years he has been England's Under-21 coach, where he led them to Euro Under-21 Championship success in 2023. Whether he will change his stance amid this outcry remains to be seen.

Interim boss Carsley, who succeeded Gareth Southgate after he resigned as England manager in July following their Euro 2024 final loss to Spain, will lead the Three Lions again in the Nations League when they host Finland on Tuesday night.