New Delhi: Referee John Brooks has been relieved from officiating Saturday’s Community Shield game between Manchester City and Manchester United after sustaining a minor injury. The time-honoured curtain-raiser before the new domestic season on Saturday will feature the winners of the FA Cup and Premier League champions at Wembley Stadium.
The two clubs will meet after Erik ten Hag’s Man United pulled off an upset over Pep Guardiola’s English top-tier football league champions Man City, who had already set a new record in Premier League football with their fourth consecutive title win. Brooks was supposed to be the referee in the all-important match of the season. However, the FA confirmed on Wednesday that the 34-year-old referee has to withdraw from the competition following a small injury.
UPDATE: Jarred Gillett will now referee the 2024 FA Community Shield between #ManCity and Manchester United following a ‘minor injury’ sustained by John Brooks. 🏥 https://t.co/ix9Hh2NjdA
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) August 7, 2024
Jarred Gillett, who was first named the fourth official, will now see through the game in Brook’s place. This also means that Sam Barrott has been called up as the new fourth official in the game, as Adrian Holmes and Nick Greenhalgh are appointed to run the lines. Peter Bankes will be supported by Sian Massey-Ellis and Tim Robinson to lead the VAR team.
Man United will come into the competition as the most successful club in the Community Shield, having won the trophy 21 times, sharing it four times when the rule for a draw was to share the trophy, though they haven’t won the trophy since 2016. City have the competition six times, never having shared the trophy and have won it twice since 2016. Arsenal have denied United thrice over the last eight years with Leicester City and Liverpool both winning it once since 2016 as well. Of the 13 last Premier League winners, only once has the Community Shield been won by the Top football league champion.
Referee John Brooks will stand down from season opener in Wembley after sustaining a minor injury. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
