LONDON — Liverpool boss Arne Slot does not believe that Crystal Palace fans were acting maliciously when noise from their end forced referee Chris Kavanagh to swiftly conclude a period of silence in tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva.
Liverpool forward Jota and his brother Silva died in a car accident last month and tributes were paid to the pair at Wembley ahead of the Community Shield. Prior to the period’s silence, wreaths were laid in front of the Liverpool end by former Reds striker Ian Rush, Palace chairman Steve Parish, and Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt.
On the blowing of Kavanagh’s whistle, a smattering of supportive shouts emanated from the Palace end, prompting their fellow supporters to attempt to quieten those not respecting the tribute. The noise across the Wembley pitch prompted anger and frustration from Liverpool supporters, who booed after the whistle had been blown early.
Reflecting on the events before kick off, Slot said: “I’m a positive person. If I look at the respect that has been paid from them both from everywhere around the world, this is what I have in my head. I don’t think this was the idea of the fan who made some noise. Maybe he wasn’t aware it was the minute of silence. He was just happy and trying to cheer for his team, then the fans of Palace were trying to calm that person or those persons. I don’t think he had a bad intention, the guy or people.
“They tried to calm him down then our fans reacted. I don’t think there is a bad intention to it because the fans of Crystal Palace and everywhere around the world have paid huge respect to Diogo and Andre. This was unlucky, I don’t think there was a bad intention. We will see Friday, when Bournemouth come to our stadium, the respect that’s going to happen.”
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Earlier, Liverpool supporters had paid their own tribute to Jota, who scored 65 goals across 182 appearances for the club after joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020. Fans chanted the club anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in great voice, holding up banners that included an image of Jota with the Premier League trophy he and Liverpool celebrated last season.
There was a further poignant moment for Liverpool supporters after the game had begun, Jeremie Frimpong’s cross looping over Dean Henderson and into the net as the clock struck 20:20. Jota’s No. 20 shirt has been retired by the club as a mark of respect.
