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Virgil van Dijk has expressed his disappointment at those Crystal Palace fans who failed to respect the period of silence before kick-off in Sunday’s Community Shield.
The Liverpool and Palace players gathered on the center circle ahead of the match to pay tribute to the late Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, who died in tragic circumstances last month. Images of the brothers were shown on the big screens at Wembley, while black banners displaying their names were present around the side of the ground.
The FA had communicated ahead of Sunday that a period of silence would be held, and it was also announced over the public announcement system ahead of time. However, a small minority in the Palace section, which had been extremely vocal in the build-up to the game, did not remain silent.
Attempts were made to silence those in the crowd, which to some made the noise seem even louder. Liverpool fans responded with boos, and referee Chris Kavanagh was forced to blow his whistle and cut the period of silence short.
Van Dijk was asked about the incident and gave a scathing verdict on the few insolent fans among the Palace contingent.
“Yeah, disappointing. That’s the only thing I can say,” said the Dutchman. “I don’t know who did that but 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? Yeah, it’s disappointing to hear that, but if those people can go home and be proud of happy then…”
Arne Slot said after the game that he felt the fans making noise did not have “bad intentions”.
“I am a positive person and if I look at the respect that has been paid to them both from everywhere around the world, this is what I have in my head,” said the Liverpool head coach.
“I don’t think this was planned or it was the idea of the fan that made some noise. Maybe he wasn’t aware that it was a minute of silence.
Meanwhile, the pre-match program included tributes to Jota, and representatives from Liverpool, Palace, and the FA laid three wreaths on the pitch before the game.
It seems unlikely that any fans inside the ground were unaware of the silence that ought to have been preserved, while some suggested it was in response to Liverpool’s jeering the national anthem.
Either way, it set an unsavory backdrop for a game Liverpool ultimately lost on penalties. Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong netted for the Reds in the first half, goals that were sandwiched either side of a Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty.
Ismaila Sarr netted in the 77th minute to take the game to a shootout, with Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott all missing from the spot.
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