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Gary Neville explains why he didn’t sing the national anthem for England

Published 12:40 23 Jun 2022 BST

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Neville says he now regrets the decision.

Gary Neville has explained the reason why he didn't sing the national anthem for England at the 1996 European Championships. Neville revealed that his decision not to sing God Save the Queen was part of a protest against an "FA suit" after they ordered him to do so.

Gary Neville explains why he didn't sing the English national anthem.

The former Manchester United and Three Lions full-back has since admitted it was "stubbornness" on his behalf and that he now regrets what he did. "I didn’t sing it the first time I played for England," he said, as per The Independent. "Partly because I thought, I’m serious about my work and I’m not singing before a game." Neville added that a conversation with Football Association boss Geoff Thompson after a game against Japan in 1995 led to his protest.

'I'm not being told by some suits what to do'

"He [Thompson] only ever sought out one conversation with me," Neville recalled back in 2011. "Did he want to pick my brains on World Cup preparation? Or ask how the FA could help behind the scenes? No, Mr Thompson wanted to know why I didn’t sing the National Anthem. "'Gary, we’d rather appreciate it if you joined in,' he said. I had to politely explain that no disrespect was intended, I preferred to spend those few minutes, as I’d done all my career, focusing on the match. And that was the extent of my dealings with the chairman of the FA." Neville responded by saying: "'I'm not being told by some suits what to do.'" The Sky Sports' pundit's revelation follows after Liverpool and England defender full-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold, was criticised for not singing the national anthem before England's game against Hungary on June 4. Related links:

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