Gary Neville on why he could never sing the national anthem whilst playing for England
I don’t want to damn an entire organisation, but take Geoff Thompson, the chairman during most of my England years. He only ever sought out one conversation with me.
Did he want to pick my brains on World Cup preparation? Or ask how the FA could help behind the scenes? No, Mr Thompson wanted to know why I didn’t sing the National Anthem.
‘Gary, we’d rather appreciate it if you joined in,’ he said. I had to politely explain that no disrespect was intended, I preferred to spend those few minutes, as I’d done all my career, focusing on the match.
And that was the extent of my dealings with the chairman of the FA.
So there you have it after all these years he was "focusing" on the match. How pathetic can you get