Gary Lineker on Lee Carsley anthem row: ‘Even I didn’t feel comfortable singing it’

Gary Lineker has branded the row over Lee Carsley’s refusal to sing the national anthem “bonkers” and said that he didn’t feel comfortable singing it himself.

The Match of the Day host accused those criticising England’s interim manager for remaining silent during God Save The King of looking to “stir things up”.

Carsley confirmed before the country’s 2-0 Nations League win against Republic of Ireland on Saturday that he would not sing the anthem, stating he had never done so while Under-21 manager. The former midfielder said that had also been the case with the Irish anthem when he played for Ireland.

“Crikey, they do like to stir things up, don’t they?” ex-England captain Lineker said on his The Rest Is Football podcast.

“I find it bonkers. I remember some players didn’t sing because they’re too shy. I used to kind of sing a bit but not too loud because my voice is terrible.

“I always felt a little bit self-conscious singing on a football pitch, didn’t feel comfortable with it.

“I don’t know. I just think it’s a bit weird.”

Co-host Alan Shearer appeared to agree, adding: “You’re going to be judged on bloody football results. It’s not whether you sing the national anthem or not.”

Click here to view this content.

Lineker’s remarks were in stark contrast to a Telegraph poll which has seen three-quarters of almost 75,000 respondents agree England players and managers should have to sing the anthem.

The BBC’s highest-paid star also drew the ire of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, the investigations campaign manager of which, Joanna Marchong, said: “These comments will add insult to injury for British taxpayers already fed up with the licence fee.

“Lineker’s million-pound-plus pay packet has long been a scandal given the contempt he so frequently shows for those who pay his wages.

“If the BBC wants to keep employing this so-called talent, it should switch to a subscription service.”

Lineker praises Carsley on tactics and selection

Lineker also said England’s performance on Saturday had vindicated his scathing criticism of their displays at this summer’s European Championship and that the team selection and tactics had justified his attacks on how Gareth Southgate had set up in Germany.

The 63-year-old caused a storm at Euro 2024 by branding Southgate’s side’s performance “s---” after their dismal 1-1 draw with Denmark and suggesting the manager had been “tactically inept”.

Claiming Carsley had adopted exactly the approach he had been calling for, Lineker said: “Everyone wanted Anthony Gordon kind of to play on the left, didn’t they? Because we all saw that there was a weakness and an unbalanced side. And also that he could run behind players.

“Because we all know Kane likes to go short, so you’ve got to have a threat behind. So he [Carsley] did that. The other thing was he [Southgate] left Jack Grealish out the squad, which a lot of people were bemused by, and he’s come in and performed really well. And, obviously, he [Southgate] never really trusted Trent Alexander-Arnold.

“So in the first game, Carsley’s come up with all these things. And a lot of us are going, ‘Well, you see? We told you’.”

Shearer and co-host Micah Richards also pointed out Gordon and Kane had both been publicly critical of England’s Euros displays in the build-up to the Ireland game, despite the latter having accused Lineker and co of ramping up their own attacks on the team “for their own gain”.