Lee Carsley should be sacked by the FA today. His refusal to sing the national anthem is a betrayal and he’s not fit to be England manager, writes JEFF POWELL

Lee Carsley has made his decision. He will not sing the national anthem as he takes charge of England for the first time.

Now it is up to the Football Association to do their part. Sack him. Ideally immediately. Just before kick-off if necessary.

Call him interim, temporary, stand-in or caretaker manager, this is not a job for an Englishman who refuses to pay even lip service to our kingdom.

Carsley was born, raised and lives in and around Birmingham. This is more of a betrayal than when England turned to foreign managers.

We all know how that failed adventure under Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello ended: since 1966 and all that World Cup jazz, there has still been no silver teapot.

But we certainly didn’t expect a Swede and an Italian to sing God Save The King. They came here to do a very rewarding job, not to pay tribute to the motherland of football. It was one of the reasons why this writer fiercely opposed the appointments, and never expected the FA to fall for an Irishman in the closet.

Not that it matters whether Carsley conjures up a 10-0 victory in Dublin on Saturday. His answer to the Irish question has told us where his heart lies. On the Emerald Isle. We don’t need it confirmed by lips stuck together as if they were taped to the touchline of the Aviva Stadium.

It was on this hallowed Irish ground, when it was still called Lansdowne Road, that Carsley won many of his 40 caps for the boys in green. Without scoring a single goal from midfield, by the way.

Of course, the issue of changing nationalities in sport has become increasingly difficult and complex over the years. Especially when it comes to England and Ireland. And even more so when it mixes family heritage with pragmatic careers.

Things get worse when Carsley submits to his Republican heritage even as he takes over the helm of England. Harder to forget, in the circumstances, that he chose to transport his loyalties across the Irish Sea on his grandparents’ good old ship.

All sorts of additional excuses are made in his defense, from injury to opportunity, but it all comes down to a journey of national sentiment.

Now he is completing a return journey of ease through various echelons of the English coaching system. Make no mistake, behind the artificial humility Carsley has his eye on succeeding Gareth Southgate full-time.

And even a couple of successes in the Nations League – a tournament of little importance and even less interest – could give him a chance.

Better to stop it before it starts. Could England really put a new boss on the Dublin bench? Why not? For the clubs, this is an international break from Premier League action. So how about asking a very English candidate for the job, Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe, to come along this weekend and get a feel?

A bit extreme perhaps. But it is better to have at least someone who is pulling the strings and who is in a valid position to urge the troops to greater efforts for the cause of the country.

Carsley is technically astute. The FA hierarchy are impressed by his coaching of England Under-2s to winning a European Championship at that level. Well done to the juniors, who praise him mainly in the hope of promotion to the senior team.

But the FA should have been warned by the sight of Carsley sitting on those benches with his mouth frozen shut as the players sang our national anthem. They should have known that there is more to senior England than schoolmasterly insight. Much more.

Whatever has been said about Southgate’s failure to reach the finish line in major tournaments – and partly by myself – his patriotism has never been in question.

He dressed like an English gentleman. Behaved like an English gentleman should. Took victory and defeat like a good English gentleman. Gave his last ounce of himself to the national cause and when that wasn’t enough, he retired like an English gentleman.

Listen to what Carsley had to say on his ‘interim’ appointment: ‘Being head coach of England is a great achievement, but I’m absolutely proud of my (Irish) heritage.’

Well, thanks for that Lee. Who then went on to enthusiastically tell us about his recent family summer holiday in… Cork.

Irish footballers who flee to England usually bear the brunt of hostility in their home country. Declan Rice, who left Ireland to become a loanee with England, will distract the home crowd from Carsley when he plays them on Saturday afternoon.

In contrast, Jack Charlton, who won the World Cup with England in 1966, brought a smile to the Irish when he became manager of the national team, while still retaining the affection of the English public.

Now that the accolades for Eriksson have been heaped upon them, it is not out of place to reflect on Southgate’s view of the ice-cold Swede under whom he played for England: ‘We needed Winston Churchill but we got Iain Duncan Smith.’

These aren’t the only border crossings on these islands that are fraught with danger. Before he disavowed the flag, Carsley could have reflected on how Sir Alex Ferguson politely turned down a hefty offer from the FA by saying: ‘I could never imagine leading an England team against Scotland.’

Therein lay part of his greatness.

If immediate action is not taken, we will now have Little Lee on the site of the former home of Sir Alf Ramsey, the only England team to ever win the World Cup.

Believe it or not, we already know its real color: Green.