England team manager Lee Carsley refuses to sing national anthem

Lee Carsley will lead England against Finland on Sunday, with the interim manager set to come under scrutiny once again as he opts against singing the national anthem

Lee Carsley, the new interim manager of England's football team, has been in the spotlight since his first match leading the Three Lions. This comes as the squad prepares to face Finland in Helsinki on Sunday. The match will be broadcast at 4.15pm on ITV.

The Three Lions have enjoyed two solid victories during September's international break, securing 2-0 wins against both the Republic of Ireland and Finland, before they faced Greece at Wembley on Thursday. However, Lee drew attention prior to kick-off in Dublin in September when he chose not to participate in the traditional singing of the national anthem before his inaugural match as manager.

Lee Carsley, who played for Ireland between 1997 and 2008, making 40 appearances, explained his decision at a previous press conference. He revealed that he has never sung the anthems, neither as a player nor during his tenure with England’s youth teams. He stated: "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."

He went on to say: "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 gonna 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."

Lee recently took charge of his first match as temporary senior team coach at the Nations League second tier at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The 50 year old was promoted from his role with the under-21s and placed in temporary charge of the Three Lions following Gareth Southgate's resignation in August. He led England to an impressive 2-0 win against Ireland back in September. He has had significant success with England's youth setup, leading the Under-21s to European glory last year.

He's been part of the Football Association’s coaching staff since 2015 and if he performs well against Finland this week, he could be named as England's next permanent manager. Born in Birmingham but having represented the Republic of Ireland at senior international level, Lee has remained firm on his reasons for not singing the national anthem.

He previously stated: "This (singing the anthem) is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland. The gap between your warm-up, you're 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."

His decision has left the nation divided, with many Three Lions fans expressing their views. Some have expressed their revulsion over the confession, while others have defended his rationale.