FA appoint referee of controversial Arsenal-City clash for Community Shield

The FA confirmed on Friday that Stuart Attwell will referee the Community Shield match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley next month.

Attwell will be supported by assistant referees Tim Wood and Dan Robathan, with fourth official John Brooks and reserve assistant referee Steve Meredith.

On VAR, Michael Salisbury will work with assistant VAR Neil Davies to assess any potentially contentious incidents during the game.

The fixture is scheduled for Sunday, August 6th at 16:00 BST.

“It’s obviously a key point in the calendar for everybody involved in the game and with the two teams that are involved in it, they were both at the forefront of playing some fantastic football last season,” Attwell said after his appointment.

“I think it bodes well to deliver a fantastic match on the pitch but also set the scene for what might be coming over the next nine or ten months in the new season.

“I still get a special buzz refereeing at Wembley and I’ve been fortunate enough to have refereed there over the years on a few occasions, events such as the League Cup Final and FA events like the Vase, Trophy and most recently, one of last season’s FA Cup semi-final.

“There is something special and unique about Wembley, so to walk out and be involved in a match of that quality with players of that calibre, it is something to enjoy the experience at the time and look back on with a real sense of pride.”

Arsenal have a marginally positive record in games refereed by Attwell, with eight wins, six draws, and five defeats, though Manchester City have a much better record, with 16 wins, one draw, and four defeats.

Arsenal fans also won’t have particularly fond memories of the last time Attwell refereed a game between the two teams, on New Year’s Day in 2022.

The referee waved away a clear penalty that should have been given for a challenge by Ederson on Martin Odegaard, before giving City a penalty and sending Gabriel Magalhaes off.

This time around will need to be different if Arsenal are going to lift the trophy at the end of the day.