Liverpool will take on Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium this afternoon in the Community Shield with the first trophy of the season up for grabs
Liverpool supporters hold up their scarves at Wembley Stadium ahead of the Carabao Cup final vs Newcastle United last season
Liverpool supporters hold up their scarves at Wembley Stadium ahead of the Carabao Cup final vs Newcastle United last season
(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Liverpool are back at Wembley Stadium this afternoon for yet another cup final, this time the Community Shield is up for grabs with Crystal Palace providing the opposition. The Reds enter the fixture as the Premier League champions and will face Palace by virtue of their FA Cup win over Manchester City last season.
While arguably not the biggest trophy of the campaign, the Community Shield often involves the same pageantry as is expected of other cup finals including the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. As such, the national anthem of 'God Save the King' or previously 'God Save the Queen', will be played before the fixture.
In all likelihood, the anthem will be met with a frosty reception by those adorning red on Wembley Way this weekend. It is fully expected that, if played, Liverpool fans will choose to boo the anthem.
Reasoning behind this decision is complex but often dates back to the 1980s. During Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, Liverpool perceived that their city was on the receiving end of a 'managed decline'.
When the Hillsborough disaster occurred in 1989, this theory was seen to hold further weight due to the state's mishandling and misreporting of what happened that fateful day. Since then, boos for the national anthem have become more and more common.
This mistrust of the state continues into the present day. Food banks outside Anfield and Goodison Park last season are seen as reminders that the city is overlooked by the government in Westminster.
Many Liverpudlians on the red half of the city also subscribe to the 'Scouse not English' model of thinking. Many Liverpool fans therefore choose not to support the English national team in major tournaments, even when the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Steven Gerrard were representing them.
Recently, Liverpool felt they were placed in an impossible position when the Premier League 'strongly advised' them to play the national anthem before the Premier League clash against Brentford to mark King Charles III's coronation.
Most of Anfield would proceed to boo the anthem as it was played before kick-off.
For the latest news and breaking news, visit_ liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/liverpool-fc_. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow us onTwitter @LivEchoLFC - the official Liverpool ECHO LFC Twitter account - for all the latest LFC news as it happens in real time.
We're also onFacebook/LiverpoolEchoLFC - your must-see LFC news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Liverpool ECHO.
Listen to our podcasts by searching for 'Blood Red' wherever you get your podcasts.
Sign up for one of the Liverpool Echo's free daily and weekly newsletters onLiverpool FC by clicking here.