Liverpool fans boo national anthem to mark King Charles III's coronation
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Liverpool supporters have repeatedly booed the national anthem in recent years.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
LIVERPOOL - Liverpool fans booed the national anthem when it was played at Anfield to mark the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday.
The Premier League had encouraged clubs to play the anthem before matches this weekend to mark the King’s coronation at Westminster Abbey.
Liverpool said on Friday they would do so prior to Saturday’s game against Brentford, despite knowing “some supporters have strong views” on the subject.
As “God Save the King” was played, boos and jeers were eventually drowned out by chants of “Liverpool” from the home fans.
Liverpool supporters have repeatedly booed the national anthem in recent years, most notably ahead of last season’s FA Cup final.
UK government plans to leave the city to “managed decline” in the 1980s and the cover-up that followed the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, which caused the death of 97 Liverpool fans, have been cited as reasons for anti-establishment protest.
Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp said he was “not an expert on English history or the monarchy”, but took the opportunity in his programme notes to wish King Charles III well “not just today but also for the future”. AFP
