Manchester United legend Roy Keane has now shared his verdict on the Lee Carsley national anthem controversy.
Interim England manager Lee Carsley recently received a lot of criticism after revealing that he will not sing the national anthem. Roy Keane has now shared his thoughts on Carsley’s decision and the controversy surrounding it.
Carsley will take charge of the Three Lions when they take on the Republic of Ireland. The interim manager has revealed that he chooses to focus on the game before the start of the match and he has always tried to block out distractions in that time. Therefore, he has never sung the national anthem even as a player.
Carsley said via Mirror, “I’ve got so much respect for both national anthems. I’ll stand there proud today and like I say, it’s a really proud moment and I can’t wait for the game. I’m not sure [if it’s unfair] to be honest, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
“As a player making my debut in 96 or 97, I was totally focused on the game. It was something I found difficult to get used to in terms of the delay. So I used that time to concentrate and keeping my focus and it hasn’t changed since I started coaching.”
The former Republic of Ireland international did not sing the national anthem as a player, and his former teammate and Manchester United legend Roy Keane has now defended the interim England manager and stated that it is a part of his preparation for games and that he is not trying to be disrespectful on purpose.
Keane also added that the priority of the manager is to win games and his decision to not sing the national anthem should not be scrutinised further. Carsley guided England to a win over the Republic of Ireland when the two sides met on Saturday, getting his spell off to a bright start.
Keane said, “He’s obviously coached a lot at underage level and done very well, this is now senior level and with England there’s huge pressure and huge demand and maybe this is an introduction to those demands. It is unfair of course, but this is the industry we’re in.
“We’re talking about people losing their jobs because they don’t sing a national anthem. I played with him at Ireland and he didn’t sing it then and it wasn’t an issue then. The priority is to try and win football matches and that will take care of everything else.”
Although Carsley’s decision not to sing the national anthem might not go down well with certain sections, It is a part of the process for him, and he has stuck to it from his days as a player as well as a manager. So, the bizarre controversy should not go any further, although there is a high chance it will.
