No anthems at final

The Football League has confirmed that national anthems will not be played ahead of Sunday's Carling Cup final between Liverpool and Cardiff.

Football League policy comes into play for English and Welsh meetings

The Football League has confirmed that national anthems will not be played ahead of Sunday's Carling Cup final. Liverpool take on Championship side Cardiff in a Wembley showpiece that pits together clubs from England and Wales. And it is the league's policy not to play anthems at finals when the clubs come from either side of the border after fans booed both anthems on previous occasions. A Football League spokesman said: "It is the long-standing policy of the Football League not to play national anthems when English and Welsh clubs meet in finals. "The League regards these matches as domestic rather than international occasions and introduced this policy after fans failed to respect both anthems at previous finals." Other finals where the anthems have not been played include last year's Championship play-off final between Reading and Swansea, and the policy goes back to the 2003 Division Two play-off final between Cardiff and QPR.