A tribute to former Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva was disrupted when some fans at the Community Shield match failed to observe a moment's silence.
Before the game between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium both teams and their staff stood silently to commemorate the brothers — who died in a car accident in Spain in July — but loud voices by a minority of fans from the Palace end could be heard, which prompted some boos.
Other Eagles supporters tried to silence those not respecting the tribute.
Advertisement
Football has a new home. Stream the Premier League, FA Cup, J.League and NWSL live & on demand, including Premier League with 4K, from August 2025 on Stan Sport
Referee Chris Kavanagh then blew his whistle to signal the end of the tribute.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot later played down the incident.
Liverpool fans hold a banner in the memory of Diogo Jota before the FA Community Shield game.
Liverpool fans hold a banner in the memory of Diogo Jota before the FA Community Shield game. AP
“I don’t think this was planned, or that this was the idea of the fan that made some noise. Maybe he wasn’t aware of the fact that it was the minute of silence,” he said.
“And I think then the fans of Palace were trying to calm that person or those persons down ... They tried to calm him down, but that was a bit noisy as well. And then our fans reacted, ‘Hey, what’s happening here?’.”
READ MORE: Moses accused of diving to win game-sealing penalty
READ MORE: Bunnies star questioned by police ahead of milestone game
READ MORE: Aussie slugger sets up T20 win against Proteas
Palace won the match - beating Liverpool 3-2 on penalties after the game ended 2-2.
This was Liverpool's first major game since the death of Jota, who was 28.
The brothers died when the Lamborghini they were in veered off a road and burst into flames near the northwestern city of Zamora.
Players of Liverpool and Crystal Palace shake hands as a Diogo Jota tribute is seen in the Wembley stands.
Players of Liverpool and Crystal Palace shake hands as a Diogo Jota tribute is seen in the Wembley stands. Getty
The Premier League champion has made a number of tributes to Jota following his death, including retiring his No.20 jersey.
Liverpool supporters began to applaud Jota when Monday's game reached the 20-minute mark and that applause quickly erupted into cheers as new signing Jeremie Frimpong scored to put the Merseyside club 2-1 ahead.
The Community Shield is seen at the traditional curtain-raiser for the top-flight season in England and is played between the defending league champion and the winner of the FA Cup.