Played in honor of the coronation of King Charles III, England’s anthem God Save the King was booed copiously, as it always does, at Anfield Road ahead of the match between Liverpool and Brentford on the 35th day of the Premier League. League. The crackdown on miners’ strikes in the mid-1980s and the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 fueled resentment among Reds supporters towards the government and institutions.
Somewhat contrasting reactions to the God Save The King/You’ll Never Walk Alone mixtape #LFC#BOOKpic.twitter.com/1mwaOZlwhJ
— Ian Doyle (@IanDoyleSport) May 6, 2023
Nearly a hundred Reds supporters were killed during a match at Hillsborough Stadium in the city of Sheffield on April 15, 1989. Initially blamed, an independent investigation later concluded that the calamitous management of security by the English police was at the heart of the drama.
“You’ll Never Walk Alone”
Last year, before the League Cup and FA Cup finals, both won by the Reds at Wembley, the anthem was also shouted down. The song “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, the unofficial anthem of the club, was taken up at the top of the lungs by the whole stadium immediately after the “God Save the King”. While being aware of the risk of this type of event, the club had decided to maintain the anthem, as in all Premier League stadiums this weekend.
On Friday, during the pre-match press conference, Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp was very diplomatic about it. “The position of the club is mine. Besides, it’s definitely a subject on which I can’t have a definite opinion. I’m German, we don’t have a king or queen, I’m 55 and I I never knew that“, he had swept away. “I’m sure a lot of people in the country will be happy about the coronation. Others won’t be interested and some won’t like it. That’s how it is and it will be throughout the country,” he added.