Virgil Van Dijk was furious to see Wembley's solemn atmosphere broke on Sunday when a small group of Crystal Palace supporters disrupted a minute of silence in tribute to the Liverpool Diogo Jota striker and his brother, André Silva, before Community Shield.
The two brothers tragically lost their lives in a car accident in Spain last month, and the two groups of players gathered in the central round to honor their memory.
Referee Chris Kavanagh was forced to interrupt the tribute after noise emanated from the palace section of the stadium, arousing a lively disapproval from spectators. This unwanted disturbance threw a shadow on an intense match which ended 2-2 before Palace won the penalties.
A minute of silence not respected
Van Dijk did not hide his emotion after the incident, saying that he was “disappointed” by the behavior of those responsible.
“Yes, I'm disappointed,” said Van Dijk. That's all I can say. Many have tried to calm the situation, but obviously, that doesn't help them. It's like that. You can't control … How many people were there? 80,000, so yes, it's disappointing to hear that. But if these people can go home and be happy with themselves, then …
Virgil van dijk déçu
However, Liverpool's coach Arne Slot adopted a more diplomatic approach, suggesting that the disturbance was perhaps not intentional.
“I don't think it's planned. Perhaps the supporter was not aware of the minute of silence, that he was happy and that he tried to encourage his team, then the palace supporters tried to calm him down and our supporters reacted, “he said. “I don't think they had bad intentions. I am a positive person. I see the respect testified to Diogo and André around the world. »» Before the final whistle, a deeply moving scene occurred when the legend of Liverpool Ian Rush and the president of Crystal Palace Steve Parish advanced to lay crowns in memory of Jota and his brother.
