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A tribute to late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva was prematurely ended at Wembley on Sunday after a small section of Crystal Palace fans disrupted the planned minute’s silence before the Community Shield.
Jota, 28, and Silva, 25, died in a car crash in Spain last month. The pre-match ceremony was intended to honour the pair, with wreaths laid pitchside and their images shown on the stadium’s big screens. Liverpool supporters sang You’ll Never Walk Alone as a white banner displaying Jota’s picture, name, and number 20 was unfurled.
However, shortly after referee Chris Kavanagh signalled for the silence to begin, chants of “Eagles” could be heard from part of the Palace end. Other Palace fans attempted to quiet the noise, but the disturbance triggered boos from Liverpool supporters, prompting Kavanagh to call an early halt after around 20 seconds.
Sky Sports’ Peter Smith described “unsavoury moments” during the tribute, noting that it followed Liverpool fans booing the national anthem, a gesture that drew an angry reaction from some Palace supporters.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk expressed disappointment at the interruption.
“Disappointing,” he said. “That’s the only thing I can say. I don’t know who did that. There were plenty trying to shush it down but that didn’t help it. It is what it is. How many fans were there, 80,000? It’s disappointing to hear that, but if those people can go home and be proud and happy then…”
Manager Arne Slot struck a more forgiving tone, suggesting the disruption may not have been intentional.
“I’m a positive person. If I look at the respect that’s been paid to them both from around the world, that’s what I have in my head,” he said. “I don’t think this was planned or this was the idea of the fan who made some noise, maybe he wasn’t aware it was the minute of silence. Then the fans of Palace were trying to calm that person down, but that was a bit noisy as well and then our fans reacted on what’s happening. I don’t think there’s a bad intention to it.”
Slot added that the majority of Palace fans, like supporters across the football world, had shown “huge respect” for Jota and Silva, and suggested the incident may have been “unlucky” timing.
The match itself finished 2-2 in normal time, with Palace winning 3-2 on penalties.
Liverpool retired the number 20 shirt following Jota’s death, which occurred only 11 days after his wedding to long-term partner Rute Cardoso. The club is set to begin its Premier League campaign on Friday against Bournemouth, their first league match since the tragedy.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram / @liverpoolfc
