Irish Wrexham star James McClean confirms he sang that he ‘hates the f***ing King – at the top of my lungs’ and will make NO apology over his anti-monarchy chant, just days after Prince William visited the club
Controversial Irish star James McClean says he will make no apology for saluting Wrexham fans who sang an anti-King Charles III chant.
Fans of the Hollywood-owned Welsh club sang for McClean after a 6-0 thrashing of Forest Green Rovers secured them promotion into League One on Saturday.
One line of the song was ‘he hates the f***ing King’ in reference to the Irish winger’s well-publicised Republican stance, with a social media clip showing McClean urging the crowd on.
It came just a few weeks after Prince William visited Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground to meet staff and players, and hear about how the club has risen since the takeover by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
King Charles met the Hollywood duo on his own visit to Wrexham in December 2022, while Prince William met McElhenney, manager Phil Parkinson, plus players Ben Tozer and Luke Young on St David’s Day last month.
Controversial Irish star James McClean saluted Wrexham fans singing an anti-King chant
McClean doubled down in an Instagram post, saying he ‘sang along at the top of my lungs’
McClean was celebrating with the Wrexham fans after they earned promotion at the weekend
Prince William received a personalised Wrexham shirt from Ben Tozer (left), Wrexham co-chairman Rob McElhenney (centre right) and club captain Luke Young (right) last month
Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney welcomed King Charles in 2022
In an Instagram post, McClean shared a screenshot of MailOnline’s story from Tuesday and wrote: ‘Is this correct? Absolutely and I also sang along at the top of my lungs.’
The 34-year-old added: ‘Do I make any apologies for doing so? Absolutely not.’
The Prince of Wales also poured a pint and downed a whisky with McElhenney at The Turf pub next to Wrexham’s ground.
Reynolds was in New York editing the next Deadpool film during Prince William’s visit last month, but MailOnline understands he hopes to meet with the second in line to the throne later in the year.
Speaking at Wrexham, William said: ‘It’s a great success story you’re building here, everything you’ve started and achieved it’s fantastic, so onwards and upwards – it’s exciting.
‘And anyone who’s a true football fan wants to see you do well.’
As the third oldest football club in the world, Wrexham’s story has fascinated a new generation of viewers from around the world thanks to McElhenney and Reynolds, and the showcase of their ownership on the popular Disney+ documentary Welcome To Wrexham.
In the first episode of the show’s second season, The King delighted royal fans by making a subtle joke about It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to McElhenney.
Charles and Camilla met club owners and actors Ryan Reynolds and McElhenney during a tour of Wrexham’s stadium in December 2022, which was broadcast the following September.
Prince William talked with Wrexham AFC manager Phil Parkinson during his visit in March
Wrexham secured promotion to League One after a thumping 6-0 win over Forest Green
Delighted fans ignored a warning from the club and invaded the pitch after the match
McClean has proven to be a divisive figure in British football, and his stance against the Royals is just one of many things that has sparked debate.
Whilst playing for Wigan Athletic, McClean called out the English FA for their failure to deal with anti-Irish abuse in the game after an incident at Blackpool.
The FA previously investigated fans singing anti-Pope and anti-IRA songs towards McClean on a number of occasions.
In September 2023, McClean admitted regrets about posting a controversial picture of himself in lockdown ‘jokingly’ home schooling his children in a balaclava, which was interpreted as a reference to the IRA.
For the post, which was subsequently removed, McClean was fined two weeks of wages by Stoke City – his club at the time in March 2020.
McClean came under fire for turning his back while the national anthem played before a friendly against West Brom in 2015.
The player has stated this is due to his affinity with Derry, and the role of the British Army in the Troubles and Bloody Sunday.
McClean’s stance against the Royal Family is just one of several controversies around him
McElhenney and Reynolds stood beside Queen Camilla and the King during the 2022 visit
The Hollywood pair celebrated back-to-back promotions after buying the club in 2020
He has also been criticised for refusing to wear a poppy during games played across Remembrance weekend, a personal decision he made in 2012, but a stance which saw him booed for it a decade later.
He refuses to wear the poppy because the symbol commemorates military personnel who have died in war – and not just soldiers who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.
The winger, who has 103 caps for the Republic of Ireland, left Wigan Athletic and joined Wrexham in August 2023, scoring three goals for his new club this term.
Earlier this month, a Wrexham fan was banned from attending football matches for three years for directing a racial slur at Tranmere supporters.
Daniel Thomas Monk, 21, admitted a racially aggravated public order offence in Wrexham Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, after shouting ‘dirty Scouse b*****ds’ and ‘dirty English b*****ds’ in the direction of a group of Tranmere fans being escorted towards the stadium.
