The FA has confirmed which officials will oversee Liverpool’s Community Shield clash against Crystal Palace next month, with Chris Kavanagh set to take charge of the game.
The Reds play in the annual curtain raiser for the first time since 2022, when Liverpool beat Manchester City 3-1 at the King Power Stadium. As for Palace, it is the club’s first-ever appearance in the annual fixture between the league and FA Cup winners from the previous campaign.
The match will be staged on August 10 at Wembley, five days before the Premier League campaign begins at Anfield when Bournemouth is the visitors.
The Community Shield will offer Arne Slot the chance to put the finishing touches on his preparations ahead of the Premier League season and, invariably, allow players to build fitness levels.
He’ll hope to avoid any injuries or suspensions too, with Kavanagh pivotal in the latter. It was confirmed on Wednesday that the referee will oversee proceedings between Liverpool and Palace.
He last refereed a Liverpool game at the national stadium when Jurgen Klopp’s side beat Chelsea 1-0 in the 2024 Carabao Cup final.
Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino won seven trophies together at Liverpool
Liverpool last won the Community Shield in 2022 (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Kavanagh will be assisted by James Mainwaring, Wade Smith, and Tony Harrington. Mainwaring was promoted to the FA’s list of elite referees and assistants last year. Akil Howson will act as the reserve assistant referee, while Paul Tierney and Nick Hopton will manage VAR from Stockley Park.
Tierney was on VAR duty for Liverpool's controversial Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in April, on a night when he failed to send off James Tarkowski for a blatant red card tackle on Alexis Mac Allister.
As for Kavanagh, he took charge of three Liverpool matches last season: a 2-0 win over City in December, the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest the following month, and a rare loss when the Reds were beaten 3-2 by Fulham towards the end of the term.
James Tarkowski fouling Alexis Mac Allister
This tackle from Tarkowski did not receive a red card last season (Image: AP)
The Community Shield will end Liverpool’s preseason plans, which began on Sunday with a 3-1 win over Preston North End.
The Reds jet out to Asia soon for friendlies against AC Milan and Yokohama FM.
Then, a double header will be played on August 4 when the Reds take on Athletic Bilbao in back-to-back games, which should afford the majority of players the chance to get 90 minutes into their legs.
As for Palace, it faces Crawley Town on July 25, before a similar double header against Augsburg a week later. The Eagles begin their Premier League campaign with a trip to Stamford Bridge to take on the recently crowned world champions Chelsea.