Why Liverpool fans boo the national anthem as loud jeers heard ahead of Carabao Cup final

Liverpool fans were heard booing the national anthem ahead of the Carabao Cup final.

Jurgen Klopp's side are facing Chelsea at Wembley in the 64th League Cup showpiece, with the chance to win a first trophy of the season.

As part of the pre-match traditions, both sets of players and managers lined up on the pitch before God Save the King was sung.

But it was drowned out by loud jeers from the Liverpool half of the stadium and not for the first time.

It was booed during King Charles' Coronation prior to a game against Brentford at Anfield last season after the Premier League encouraged clubs to play the anthem before matches.

After the club's anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' sounded out over the tannoy, fans could be heard singing, "You can stick your coronation up your a***" and "F*** the tories" during the game.

Ahead of the FA Cup final win against Chelsea, Liverpool fans booed the national anthem as well as the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William.

Liverpool as a club and city do not a healthy relationship with the British establishment and according to journalist Caoimhe O’Neill, the booing represents broader socialism rather than a direct criticism of the Royal Family.

The disdain towards the establishment is related to 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.

Speaking to The Athletic, she explained: “It’s something Liverpool fans have done for such a long time. It’s always been an anti-establishment protest. Something that is deep-rooted in the city, the socialism of the city and for those who died at Hillsborough.

“It feels like a movement and a protest and one that’s not always maybe respected — people just jump on it as something that would upset the king or something. It was the same with Prince William at Wembley last season, when Liverpool fans booed the anthem while he was there. It’s not necessarily about him or the royal family necessarily.

“That’s the important point to make: it’s about the establishment as a whole, this conglomerate of things that Liverpool fans disagree with.”

image: Getty

James Pearce of The Athletic also provided his take, explaining that people in Liverpool simply cannot relate to the establishment after being "treated so badly".

He commented: “It all ties in as well to the patriotism that most people from the city don’t associate with.

“You see it when major tournaments come around with the England football team as well, it all feeds into the same thing. That’s not their identity. That’s not who they are.

“There’s a feeling that those people don’t represent them. It’s just a world away from some guy having a crown put on his head in London. What relevance has that got to the lives of people in this city? Especially people who have been treated so badly by the establishment for so long.”

Topics: Liverpool, Chelsea, Carabao Cup

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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