- Liverpool and Palace met in Community Shield
- Pre-match tribute cut short after boos
- Reasons now provided for disruption
Match referee Chris Kavanagh cut short the tribute after hearing disruption by some fans in the crowd. Liverpool manager Arne Slot played down the incident after the match, but Virgil van Dijk could not hide his disappointment and issued a scathing response to those supporters who had aimed boos during the silence.
Crystal Palace fans have now attempted to explain why the silence was booed and have largely blamed ticketing issues, as reported by The i Paper. Hundreds of supporters saw their entry into the stadium delayed due to a failure in the ticketing system which meant many were only on the concourse when the pre-match tribute was taking place. Some fans did not gain entry until half-time, while those that did had made it after standing in lengthy queues in hot temperatures, causing tempers to fray.
The vice-chair of the Crystal Palace Independent Supporters Association (CPISA) also said the club were not aware a minute’s silence was due to take place. Peter Saysell said: “There was nothing in the programme. There was nothing anywhere. It wasn’t put up about what was happening pre-match about the wreath-laying or [the silence], so everybody was caught unaware.”
Supporter Richard Bryne missed the first 20 minutes of the match and spoke to the The i Paper about his frustrations: “I think if it had been in the Cup final, I would have been going ballistic. Because it was a friendly game, the whole vibe of the thing, people were a little bit more calm about it. If that had been a Cup final, and I got in 20 minutes late, I would have missed a goal I have waited 50-plus years to see. And that is something you can never get back.”
Popular fan group Five Year Plan also offered some insight, and an apology, in a post on X: “A word on the Jota silence incident. A lot of our fans had difficulty getting into the ground. Stewarding was a mess. Some came into the concourse without realising what was going on. All we can do is apologise. It’s a disappointing thing to have happened and we’re sorry.”
Crystal Palace did go on to win the game to lift the Community Shield after a penalty shootout. The Eagles will now look ahead to the start of the Premier League season and an opener against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
