[ad_1]
Southampton fans tease visiting Liverpool supporters by singing God Save the Queen… just days after Reds supporters booed the National Anthem before the FA Cup final at Wembley
- A section of Saints supporters were heard singing the song against Liverpool
- Liverpool fans caused controversy by booing the anthem at the FA Cup final
- It led to a public disagreement between the Government and Jurgen Klopp
- Klopp, 54, had said Reds fans ‘wouldn’t do it if there was no reason’
Southampton fans have taunted visiting Liverpool supporters by singing the National Anthem during their Premier League clash at St Mary’s – just 24 hours after ‘God Save the Queen‘ was at the centre of a row between the Government and Jurgen Klopp.
A section of fans in the Southampton end were heard airing the anthem midway through the first half, before Liverpool’s away end responded with a chant of ‘f*** the Tories‘.
The Sex Pistols’ version of God Save the Queen was played on the public announcement system at half-time in a mischievous move from the Saints DJ.
It comes after Downing Street slapped down Liverpool manager Klopp’s defence of fans who jeered the National Anthem and Prince William at the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Reds fans sparked fury after boos echoed around Wembley Stadium while Prince William – the president of the FA – was introduced to Chelsea and Liverpool players ahead of their cup final clash on Saturday.
Supporters also drowned out singer-songwriter RAYE’s rendition of ‘God Save The Queen’, as well as the hymn ‘Abide With Me’ – a much-loved FA Cup final tradition.
But Klopp, speaking in a pre-match press conference on Monday, backed supporters who had jeered the anthem.
‘They wouldn’t do if there was no reason,’ the Liverpool boss said.
Southampton fans were in cheeky mood as they sang National Anthem during Liverpool match
Minutes after his comments, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson replied with ‘no’ when asked whether Klopp was right to say Liverpool had a reason to boo the national anthem.
The tradition of booing the National Anthem is not new for Liverpool fans and is thought to date back to the 1980s when the fans protested Thatcher’s Conservative Government and what they perceived as a ‘managed decline’ of the city.
Reds fans’ disdain for the establishment was also a result of the cover-ups that occurred in the Hillsborough disaster where 97 people were tragically killed in a crush at the stadium in Sheffield during an FA Cup semi-final match in 1989.
Klopp called the club’s supporters ‘wonderful’ when asked about the jeering of the anthem.
The anthem was heard during the match between Southampton and Liverpool at St Mary’s
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp defended Reds fans who booed the National Anthem
He said on Monday: ‘Of course I have thoughts but I think in these situations it’s best to ask the question: why does it happen?
‘They wouldn’t do if there was no reason. I’ve not been here long enough to understand the reason for it – it’s for sure something historical – and that’s probably questions you can answer much better than I could ever.
‘The majority of our supporters are wonderful people. Really smart, go through lows and highs. They wouldn’t do it without reason.’
There were also reports of supporters booing the National Anthem earlier this year, when Liverpool played Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, also held at Wembley.
The outburst by thousands of fans at the weekend was denounced across the political spectrum.
[ad_2]
Source link
Have something to say? Leave a comment: