‘Proud’ Carsley defends not singing English anthem

Lee Carsley, the interim head coach of England, led his team to a 2-0 victory over Republic of Ireland despite receiving backlash for not singing the national anthem. Carsley, who used the moments before kickoff to focus on preparation, stated that not singing the anthem doesn’t make him any less committed to his job. He expressed respect for both national anthems and acknowledged that everyone has their own way of showing patriotism. Carsley praised his team’s performance and the way players like Declan Rice and Jack Grealish handled the hostile atmosphere, with both players scoring goals in the match.