Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
It suited me not to sing anthem
Star Nev on his Euro 96 silence
FOOTBALL pundit Gary Neville has revealed he refused to sing God Save the Queen at Euro 96 in protest at being ordered to do so by an “FA suit”.
Neville said “stubbornness” is why he did not join in with his England teammates during the national anthem at Wembley.
The former Manchester
United defender, 47, now says his stance at the tournament was a “big mistake”. He added: “I didn’t sing it the first time I played for England... partly because I thought ‘I’m serious about my work and I’m not singing before a game’.” He said an FA boss, Geoff Thompson, told him after the Japan match in 1995: “You must sing the anthem.”
Gary added: “I said ‘I’m not being told by some suits what to do’.”
Liverpool player Trent Alexander-arnold, 23, was criticised for not singing God Save the Queen as he lined up for England before the game against Hungary on June 4.
Some Liverpudlians do not associate themselves with the anthem due to the Tory government’s handling of the city in the 1980s and the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster.