Gary Neville shares why he chose not to sing the England national anthem.
Gary Neville has shared why he didn’t sing “God Save the Queen” when he first played for England—a choice he now calls a “big mistake.”
The former Manchester United defender, who played 85 times for England, faced a lot of criticism last year after he spoke out against “angry, middle-aged white men” for causing division in the UK.
He also posted a video on LinkedIn after the Yom Kippur terrorist attack in Manchester, saying he took down a Union Jack flag from a building site he owns because it was put up for negative reasons.
He said, “The flag was sending a message that there’s something people don’t like. The Union Jack being used this way isn’t right. I’m proud to support England and Great Britain, and I’ll always stand by our country as one of the best places to live.”
After these comments, some people questioned Neville’s patriotism, and clips of him not singing the national anthem resurfaced.
Neville explained before that he chose not to sing the anthem early in his England career to make a point, after talking with then-FA chairman Geoff Thompson. For example, he didn’t sing it during Euro 1996.
He told The Mirror, “I didn’t sing it the first time I played for England because I was focused on the game and didn’t feel like singing before it. Mr Thompson only had one conversation with me—not about training or support, but just why I didn’t sing the anthem.”
Recently, Neville talked about this again in a chat with ex-teammate Rio Ferdinand on YouTube. He said, “Me and Steve McManaman didn’t sing the anthem during Euro 96 at all. After a game, an FA official—maybe Geoff Thompson—came up to me and said, ‘Sing the National Anthem.’ I wasn’t going to be told what to do. I was stubborn and didn’t sing it.”
He added, “But now, as a coach and even recently at the Carabao Cup final, I do sing it. I would sing it now when England play in tournaments. I understand it differently today.”