England’s national anthem was roundly booed at Wembley ahead of their Nations League clash with Republic of Ireland on Sunday.
Audible boos echoed around Wembley as players lined up to sing God save the King ahead of kick-off, and the jeering continued for Amhrán na bhFiann.
The match is Lee Carsley’s final one in interim charge before Thomas Tuchel takes over on January 1.
Carsley courted controversy at the start of his spell in charge when he did not sing the national anthem, just as he did not when he played for the Republic of Ireland or as the Under-21 manager of the Three Lions.
Carsley said at the time: “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 focussed 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 into coaching.
“We had the national anthem with the Under-21s also and I am in a zone at that point. I am thinking about how the opposition are going to set up and our first actions within the game. I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries. It’s something I am really respectful of.”
Asked to confirm if he ever sings the anthem, Carsley added: “No [I don’t].”
Meanwhile, England Women’s friendly against Switzerland will see a second protest over the banning of a teenage girl for asking a “bearded” transgender opponent “Are you a man?” following a demonstration before Sunday’s match.
More than 200 women and men were estimated to have descended on Wembley amid growing outrage over a six-match suspension imposed last month by a national serious case panel on a 17-year-old with suspected autism, who wept upon being grilled about her comments.
A group calling itself ‘Twelve O Five’, which organised Sunday’s protest, is planning a second demonstration at next month’s Lionesses friendly at Bramall Lane.
