When Great Britain faces Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Welsh striker, Craig Bellamy has called for the British National Anthem to be respected by the supporters. When England played Wales, in March 2011, the anthem was booed by a hardcore of Welsh supporters.
This may seem slightly ironic as Bellamy and his fellow Welsh players, Ryan Giggs, Aeron Ramsey, Neil Taylor and Joe Allen, have not sung a word of the anthem while representing Great Britain in the Olympics. Bellamy, however, should be commended for his comments regarding the booing.
He says that no nation’s national anthem should be booed by opposing supporters. He says that all national anthems should be respected even that of your worst rivals. The Liverpool striker, who was born in Cardiff, adds that it is only for one or two minutes and that people who are not singing should remain silent.
He says that this should be the same everywhere and at every sporting occasion where anthems are sung. A lecturer in Modern Welsh and Sports history at Swansea University, Dr. Martin Jones, agrees but does not think that there will be any booing at the game during the national anthems.
Dr. Jones says that this is because most hardcore Welsh supporters will stay away and that the crowd will be much more diverse. He told BBC Radio Wales that he thinks that there will be a lot of English supporters at the game and that the crowd will also include a lot of families.