Liverpool stadium announcer George Sephton will “happily” play the national anthem at Anfield after the Reds’ controversial decision to abide by the Premier League ’s call.
All clubs in the top-flight playing on Saturday have been encouraged to play the song in honour of King Charles III’s coronation set to take place on the same day. That ruffled some feathers on Merseyside.
Liverpool supporters have regularly booed the national anthem, notably during their most recent FA Cup success against Chelsea last season. However, the Reds have announced that it will be played ahead of their clash with Brentford on Saturday evening.
A club statement read: "Just over a week ago, the Premier League contacted all home clubs and strongly suggested to mark this historic occasion across home matches this weekend and provided a list of activity for clubs to get involved in,"
"Before kick-off and in recognition of the Premier League's request to mark the coronation, players and officials will congregate around the centre circle when the national anthem will be played. It is, of course, a personal choice how those at Anfield on Saturday mark this occasion and we know some supporters have strong views on it."
Despite facing criticism, stadium announcer Sephton has claimed that he has no problem with playing the song. A supporter on Twitter wrote: “Let’s hope @VoiceOfAnfield plays the sex pistols on Saturday instead of the national anthem.”
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Septhon replied: “I will happily playing the national anthem. It's coronation day.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has also shared his view on the National Anthem and remained in line with the Reds’ policy. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: “The club's position is my position.
“This is definitely a subject I can't have a proper opinion about because I am from Germany and we don't have a king or a queen. I'm pretty sure a lot of people in this country will enjoy the coronation, some will maybe not be interested and some will not like it. That's all I can say about it."
Away from the controversy over the national anthem, the Reds will be desperate to seal a victory and keep their fading Champions League hopes alive. Klopp’s side are currently four points behind fierce rivals Manchester United but have played a game more.
They are in excellent form though with five consecutive Premier League wins under their belt. After their showdown with Brentford, Liverpool take on Leicester, Aston Villa and Southampton to round-off their campaign.
Should they fail to cut the gap to United, they will end up finishing outside of the top-four for the first time since the 2015/16 campaign - Klopp’s first at Anfield.
