This weekend marks the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and to celebrate, the Premier League has advised all clubs to play God Save The King before kick-off of each game. Liverpool FC have decided to go ahead with this suggestion, despite knowing that fans may well keep up their tradition of responding with a chorus of boos rather than the lyrics. This tradition of booing the national anthem first became widespread in the 1980s as a protest towards Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government. During that time, the city of Liverpool was grappling with severe unemployment and poverty, with the government even cutting public services. In 2011 official papers revealed that Margaret Thatcher was encouraged to employ an approach of ‘managed decline’ to the city, which effectively meant withdrawing resources from the area in a bid to get people to leave. The feeling of abandonment from the government has led to the city and the fans feeling a sense of disconnect to the rest of the country, with banners reading ‘Scouse not English’ often seen among the crowds at Anfield. The Hillsborough disaster also fed into the resentment felt by the people of the city towards the state, as former Conservative MP Irvine Patnick was one of the sources who contributed to The Sun’s controversial coverage that blamed Liverpool fans for the tragic event.
Following the decision by the club to go ahead and play the national anthem this weekend, LFC manager Jurgen Klopp had his say on the situation. He said: ‘I think that’s all I can say, and the rest my position is the club’s position.’ The club’s statement on the decision reads: ‘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 kickoff, players and officials will congregate around the center 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.’
The national anthem is usually reserved for occasions such as the FA Cup and Community Shield finals at Wembley, as well as England’s international fixtures. Speaking after the fans booed during last year’s FA Cup final, Klopp expressed that fans would not have done it without good reason. He said: ‘I know our people so well that they would not do it if there is not a reason for it. I have not been here long enough to understand the reason. That’s for sure something historical and that’s probably a question you can answer much better than I can.’