Why Liverpool fans booed as the national anthem was played at Anfield for King Charles’ coronation

Liverpool players line up before kick-off.

Liverpool fans booed loudly as “God Save the King” was chanted at the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday. played at Anfield.
Television footage showed

Liverpool and Brentford players lined up on opposite sides of the center circle before kick-off as the national anthem played. Loud boos and boos from the crowd could be heard, along with “Liverpool” chants.

Liverpool fans have booed the national anthem in the past, most recently before last season’s FA Cup final at Wembley – many also booed Prince William when he appeared on the pitch that day.

The club confirmed they wouldplay ‘God Save the King’ ahead of their game against Brentford on Saturday to respect the coronation of King Charles III, although they admitted many supporters had ‘strong opinions’ on the matter.

The decision came after the Premier League requested that the national anthem be played before every game this weekend to celebrate the King and Queen’s coronation services, which took place on Saturday.

A Liverpool fan holds a sign which reads ‘Not my king’.

Mike Egerton/PA Images/Getty Images

“Before kick-off and in recognition of the Premier League’s request to celebrate the coronation, players and officials will gather around the center circle while the national anthem is played,” Liverpool said in a statement on Friday. .

“Obviously how they celebratethe occasion at Anfield on Saturday is a personal choice and we know some fans have strong opinions about that.”

Why are the fans booing?
Why exactly do Liverpool fans have a habit of booing the British national anthem? The answer has everything to do with the history of the city itself. Liverpool suffered during the deindustrialisation of the British economy in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1981, dire economic conditions, coupled with tensions between the police and the Afro-Caribbean community, resulted in nine days of rioting in the city.
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In the wake of the riots, Margaret Thatcher’s government spoke of a “managed decline” in the city.
During this decade of Conservative rule, Liverpudlian residents began to see themselves as outsiders, separate from the rest of the country, and the state’s handling of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster further strengthened those anti-establishment sentiments.

Cheering on the national anthem during football matches when the team played at Wembley – common in this day and age given Liverpool’s dominance of English football – was widespread and still is. Many fans had the same reaction during the February 2022 Carabao Cup Final and the 2012 FA Cup Final.

Liverpool fans have a long tradition of booing the national anthem.

Adam Davy/Press Association/AP

Booing the anthem is a way for some club supporters to voice their opposition to the establishment, and a chance to do so in front of a global audience.

The king’s coronation on Saturday also comes at a time when many are feeling the devastating effects of the severe cost of living crisis that is now affecting the whole of Britain.
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High inflation, years of stagnant wages and the sudden and steep rise in energy prices have pushed millions of Britons to the brink of poverty.

At the same time, the UK government is spending tens of millions of taxpayers’ money on a glitzy celebration.

Social and economic inequality is something that continues to anger many in the left-leaning city of Liverpool.

Significantly, it was Liverpool and Everton supporters who started Fans’ Supporting Foodbanks in 2015, an initiative which aims to tackle food poverty in the UK.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says it was a topic he couldn’t fully comment on.

Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images

Jurgen Klopp’s comments

When asked about the club’s decision to play the national anthem on Saturday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said “the club’s position is my position.”

“This is definitely a subject I cannot have a proper opinion about it. I’m from Germany, we don’t have a king or queen or anything like that,” he told reporters on Friday.

“I’m pretty sure a lot of people in this country will enjoy the coronation, some might not be really interested and some might not like it. That’s it. It’s all over the country.”

Many feared Liverpool fans would disrupt a minute’s silence for Queen Elizabeth II after her death last year, but few isolated boos were heard on the occasion.

Also.. 

Liverpool 1-0 Brentford: The Egyptian King equals Steven Gerrard in 6th win in row

Mo Salah again scored the game’s only goal as he leveled Steven Gerrard in Liverpool’s all-time goalscoring chart.

Liverpool 1-0 Brentford

Goals

Salah 13′ (Assist: Van Dijk)

Prior to the match, at the request of the Premier League, there was much debate over the playing of the national anthem, which was completely drowned out by chants of “Liverpool”.

When the action started, it was Liverpool who made the first round.

The breakthrough came in the 13th minute when Van Dijk headed a Fabinho cross into the goal for Salah to score from close range – equaling Steven Gerrard’s goal tally for the club, fifth on the all-time list of Reds.

It also meant Salah became the first Liverpool player in history to score in nine consecutive games at Anfield while reaching the 30-goal mark for a third consecutive season. It should have been 2-0 in the half hour, when a beautiful ball shot over Alexander-Arnold in Nunez, but the Uruguayan broke free and went over the crossbar.

There was little flow in the game, thanks in part to Brentford players going down easily with injuries, and secondly because referee Anthony Taylor admired it all.

Ivan Toney had the ball in the net but was offside, although a lengthy VAR check was needed for some reason.

However, it was a warning to Liverpool, who didn’t create too much.

First Half: Liverpool 1-0 Brentford

It really should have been 2-0 at the start of the second half when Jota fired a shot over the goal and hit Gakpo from two meters outside but somehow bounced off the mark. Alexander-Arnold grew in influence as the game progressed and hit a shot from the edge of the box that was intended for the top corner but it was saved by Raya.

Brentford pressed for an equaliser, had numerous chances from set pieces thanks to the referee, but Liverpool held on to win.

Like Fulham this week, it was anything but vintage or particularly enjoyable, but a win is a win.

And the victory puts the Reds within a point of fourth-placed Man United, even though they have played two games more than their rivals.

Now there are nine days left until the next match, away against relegation-threatened Leicester. TIA man of the match: Alexander-Arnold

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson (Tsimikas 81′), Fabinho, Jones (Milner 81′), Gakpo, Salah, Jota (Henderson 72′), Nunez (Diaz 65′)

Unused: Kelleher, Matip, Gomez, Elliott, Carvalho

Brentford: Raya; Zanka, Mee, Pinnock; Hickey, Janelt, Jensen, Onyeka, Henry; Mbeuma, Tony

Subs: Cox, Ajer, Roerslev, Baptiste, Damsgaard, Dasilva, Ghoddos, Wissa, Schade

Next match: Leicester (away, Monday 15 May)