Carsley, who was born in Birmingham but qualified for Ireland through his grandmother, never sang the national anthem as a player. According to Carsley, the delay with the anthems before a match was a source of distraction. He described his focus on the game and first actions on the field and admitted to being in a “zone” during the playing of the national anthem at under-21 matches.

Despite criticism and backlash following his statement, Carsley has been well-regarded by those at the FA, with Chief Executive Mark Bullingham describing him as “a very strong interim solution.” In a broader context, other players, such as Grealish and Rice, are also under scrutiny in Dublin as England and Ireland face each other for the first time since 2020. Both players switched allegiances after representing Ireland at youth level.

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