Alexander-Arnold slammed for not singing England national anthem
Liverpool defender has been slammed for not singing the national anthem prior to England’s game against Hungary.
The 23-year-old started for Gareth Southgate’s side in the UEFA Nations League clash at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, lining up as a right wing-back. The Three Lions lost the match 1-0.
But Alexander-Arnold courted controversy pre-match for not singing ‘God Save The Queen’ when the anthem was played over the tannoy.
Every player was seen belting out the song but Alexander-Arnold stood there unmoved. And with this game coinciding with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, he was blasted by fans on social media.
Alexander-Arnold is of course a proud Liverpudlian and many on Merseyside regularly say they are ‘Scouse, not English’.
It’s common knowledge that plenty of people from Liverpool do not support the England national team at major tournaments.
The disdain stems from the Conservative government’s mismanagement of the city in the 1980s and the failings for the Hillsborough disaster, where 97 Liverpool fans died, at the end of the decade.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is on record as saying: “The people do not do it for no reason”. Alexander-Arnold lasted an hour in the Hungarian capital, before being replaced by Chelsea’s Reece James.
England players were booed for taking the knee by Hungarian fans, an action made even more worrying by the fact the stadium was made up of 40,000 children.
The match was initially going to be played behind closed doors before a FIFA ruling allowed local school pupils to attend with accompanying adults.