Anger at Crystal Palace fans who disrupted a minute’s silence at Wembley on Saturday has been blamed on ticketing issues at the club itself.
Referee Chris Kavanagh had to cut short the tribute to the late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, killed in a car crash last month, after just 20 seconds after shouting and chanting then triggered a backlash of booing.
However, fan groups say that hundreds of supporters were delayed getting into the stadium by a failure in the ticketing system.
The i Paper understands that an error in the barcode information sent over from Palace to Wembley stadium authorities caused a number of tickets to fail on the gates.
Fans were subsequently still in the concourse during the pre-match ceremony, unaware that a minute’s silence was taking place.
‘Really disappointing’
Liverpool fans hold up a banner in memory of Liverpool's Diogo Jota before the FA Community Shield match at Wembley Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday August 10, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: John Walton/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.
Liverpool fans held up a banner in memory of Diogo Jota (Photo: PA)
However, supporter groups have also conceded that there may have been some isolated individuals within the stadium who deliberately decided to cause disruption after some Liverpool fans booed the national anthem.
“Some of our own fans have said people did boo which is really disappointing,” a post on the popular Palace fanzine Five Year Plan read.
“Jota’s death shocked us. We can’t believe people would boo any memorial to him. Let alone our own fans.”
But those in the concourse were oblivious, even though the Crystal Palace Independent Supporters Association (CPISA) say they reached out to Liverpool fan group Spirit of Shankly well in advance to check if there was a silence or ceremony planned, and were told a week later that they were not aware of anything.
CPISA vice-chair Peter Saysell told The i Paper: “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.”
Virgil van Dijk criticised the small number of fans who disturbed the peace (Photo: Getty)
Liverpool manager Arne Slot was happy to give Palace fans the benefit of the doubt, insisting he didn’t think “there was a bad intention to it”, although his captain Virgil van Dijk was less diplomatic.
“I am disappointed,” Van Dijk said afterwards.
“That is the only thing I can say. I don’t know who did it but there was plenty trying to shush it down so obviously that doesn’t help it.
“But it is what it is. You can’t control how many fans were here? Was it 80,000 people?
“So it’s disappointing to hear that but if that person or those persons can go home and be happy with themselves, then…”
Some fans missed entire first half
The i Paper understands that 81,000 fans of the 82,645 in attendance had already made their way past the turnstiles by 3pm.
But many of those who did make it on time had been standing in the heat in long queues either because of what fans say were enhanced security checks for flares in the area populated by the Holmesdale Fanatics, Palace’s hardcore support.
Hundreds of others had waited in long queues at the ticket office, where supporters were asked to produce ID in order to have their tickets reissued.
“The box office was woefully understaffed because, of course, they didn’t know that there was going to be a problem like this,” Saysell said.
Fans reported queues of hundreds of people being served by “maybe seven or eight” members of staff trying to resolve the issues.
It is understood that, if anything, Wembley had more staff on duty than usual due to the size of the event.
“Some people didn’t get in until half-time,” Saysell said.
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‘I’d have been going ballistic!’
In that context, lifelong Palace fan Richard Bryne was lucky that he only missed the first 20 minutes, but he did arrive at 2.15pm and said it was only the nature of the game that kept him calm.
“I think if it had been in the Cup final, I would have been going ballistic,” Bryne tells The i Paper.
“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.”
Palace have been approached for comment but at the time of publication had not responded.