Footballers and national anthem...

[Mosaic]

OH is watching the match and at the start, the camera panned along the two teams among whom a very small minority of the players and assorted hangers on deigned to even pretend to sing the national anthem.
I suggest that this is a disgrace and that performing this duty should be a prerequisite for such high profile and highly paid people, who are representing a national sport

ooh a goal

and commanding a great deal of our media attention.

Harrrumph!

[Smowball]

Lol I saw that,they looked very silly. On another note, when I switched the tv on I wondered for a split second why Kate Middleton was singing at the FA Cup Final lol.

[Frank97]

Perhaps the ones who didn't sing aren't English?

[daffy654]

Some of the Liverpool fans booed the National Anthem too.

[Mosaic]

Perhaps they are not D9 - however they are capable of being required to memorise some words and a tune, to stand up straight and not carry on warming up as one of the red team did.
yes, booing the national anthem is easy in a country where you can choose whether you can be bothered to vote.
Harrumph!

[EvianBaby]

I don't see it as a big deal if they don't sing it and I certainly wouldn't expect a foreign national to sing our anthem. Although if they won't want to sing it they should just stand still in silence while it's played.

[mandy22]

i noticed very few singing aswell. I also noticed that when the 'officials' went along the team line up shaking hands, that they all ignored the children who were the mascots, no one spoke to them, or even seemed to acknowledge them. i appreciate they didnt have much time, but could have spared a few seconds to acknowledge a couple of them especially when for the children involved its such a special day. Rant over ! oh and Im not really watching the match, the son is, ive no other interest in it.

[Baldric]

Showing a little respect costs nothing

[Maydup]

I don't really see what a football match has to do with the National Anthem unless it involved a National Team perhaps.

[Frank97]

I didn't see it myself, but agree that they should have just stood in silence rather than carrying on with whatever they were doing.

[Prudie]

I also noticed the lack of singing and I think yes the British playesr should show some respect and sing it. Doesn't happen in Rugby, they all sing it and are more macho than your average football player IMO. It's not about being a royalist it's about showing some pride in your country (like other nations do).

[jno]

if you aren't British, why would you sing the British national anthem?

If you were working in France you might stand up if you heard the Marseillaise played, but would you feel obliged to sing it? I wouldn't

[Mosaic]

If I were a rich and influential owner of a football club, say in England or France, I would see it as a very sweet marketing ploy for my players to be seen to be respecting their host country.
It is such a little but very meaningful gesture.

[EvianBaby]

But surely it's not a meaningful gesture if they are just singing it as a marketing ploy.

[Mosaic]

I'd think that at those wages they can think what they want as long as they did what I said.