Liverpool are likely to play the national anthem at Anfield on Saturday after the Premier League “strongly suggested” it as part of a “number of activities” to mark the King’s coronation.
The league contacted all clubs with a home fixture over the long weekend to encourage them to play the anthem and have provided images and the official portrait of the King and Queen Consort to be displayed on big screens.
They are also encouraging clubs to mark the occasion with pieces in their programme and for announcements to be made over the PA system.
i understands Newcastle and Wolves have acquiesced to the Premier League’s “strong suggestion” and will play “God Save The King” but at Liverpool, where the national anthem has been met with a mixed response in recent years, it is a thorny issue.
Indeed there is understood to be some unease at Anfield at the Premier League’s edict which, while not mandatory, leaves them in a position where they are effectively damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
If they decide not to play the anthem they will face criticism but if they do play it and some fans react negatively, it will be their support who will be lambasted in certain sections of society and the media.
Liverpool are yet to officially confirm their intentions but i understands they are veering towards playing the anthem, which has previously been booed by some sections of the support.
Jurgen Klopp said in the week that it would be a “club decision” and suggested that fan groups would be consulted.
The club have a long history of anti-establishment sentiment, entirely understandable given the long fight for justice around the Hillsborough disaster.
On Wednesday night some supporters sang “You can stick the coronation up your arse” and the anthem was booed a year ago before the FA Cup final but it is worth noting that a minute’s silence after the Queen’s death was largely well observed at Anfield.
There is an element of fatigue around the issue among some Liverpool fans, who feel it has become increasingly politicised. When Klopp defended the right of supporters to boo the anthem a year ago, it drew condemnation from then Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman.
Given its global appeal, the Premier League is keen for the competition to mark the occasion given that there is a full programme of games over the weekend.
Unlike the EFL – which moved the entire final day of the season to Monday to avoid a clash with the coronation – the Premier League decided to play on, although no games will coincide directly with the ceremony.
i can confirm that Newcastle will play the anthem before their high-profile Super Sunday clash with Arsenal while Spurs revealed a programme of events to mark the coronation.
Tottenham will show the ceremony on a big screen at Park Lane Square, outside the South Stand, at 11am. They will make access to the screen open to all fans, regardless of where they are sat for the 3pm kick-off against Crystal Palace.
The programme will carry an article about the club’s participation in the Coronation Cup in Glasgow to mark the ascension to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
from inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/qwhjnk1