For Saturday's Community Shield game in Manchester, the FA had to transform the referee.
Referee John Brooks has had to retreat from overseeing Saturday hour's Community Shield game between Manchester City and Manchester United.
Since 1908, the FA Cup victors and the top-flight champions have been competing in the classic season-end game, which started as a professional vs. amateur matter before coming to its present form in 1930.
That means that this year's experience will be a duplicate of May's FA Cup final, when Erik ten Hag's Manchester United pulled off an upset over Pep Guardiola's title-winning Manchester City.
Injuries makes Community Shield referee shift
Brooks had been selected as the referee for the ceremony, with kick-off set for 3pm on Saturday afternoon, but has had to retreat due to a minor injuries. Jarred Gillett, initially named as fifth national, has been appointed in his area.
That means that Sam Barrott has been called up to serve as the manager-wrangler in the bleachers, with Adrian Holmes and Nick Greenhalgh running the traces.
Peter Bankes may direct the VAR team, supporting by Sian Massey-Ellis and Tim Robinson.
United have won the most Community Shields of any club, lifting it on 21 occasions ( including sharing it four times, back in the days when a draw would very magnanimously share the shield ). United have never raised it since 2016, however.
City have won it six days and always shared it, but they have triumphed over it in each of the previous three times with victories from Arsenal, Liverpool, and Leicester. Almost as if it's basically a glorified pleasant they're never too bothered about or someone, who may say.
One of the previous 13 Premier League title winners, City, won the prize nine months after winning it again in 2018, was incorrectly predicted by the Community Shield effect.
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