Who is the referee for the Community Shield?
- Man City face Man Utd in the Community Shield on Saturday afternoon
- The two sides clashed in last season's FA Cup final as Man Utd came out on top
- Jarred Gillett has been trusted with the whistle for derby day at Wembley
The traditional English football curtain-raiser takes place on Saturday afternoon as Manchester City and Manchester United do battle in the Community Shield at Wembley.
It's a repeat of the 2023/24 FA Cup final - the last competitive fixture for both sides - in which Man Utd were surprise victors in the capital, with Man City having to settle for the Premier League title.
The FA Cup final was a game of drama but not controversy, with the match officials on the day doing a sterling job of keeping this derby under control. Let's hope that those appointed for the Community Shield can do the same.
Who is the referee for the Community Shield?
Jarred Gillett is the referee with the whistle for Saturday's Community Shield but the 37-year-old was only initially required as the fourth official for the Wembley clash. Instead, John Brooks was supposed to officiate the match, but he had to pull out due to a minor injury suffered in the build-up.
As a result, Gillett has been promoted to on-field referee for the day, with Sam Barrott taking his previous role on the sidelines. Adrian Holmes and Nick Greenhalgh are the assistant referees, while Peter Bankes will reside in the VAR booth.
How experienced is Jarred Gillet?
Gillett is a Premier League regular with 47 appearances in the competition. The Australian originally started in the A-League down under and has also worked in Japan, China, India and Saudi Arabia.
Gillett has never been trusted with a Champions League match and his experience in big games is fairly limited. Outside of Australia, one of his most prominent matches as an official came in the League Two play-off final in 2021/22.
Has Jarred Gillett refereed Man City or Man Utd before?
As a Premier League official, Gillett has naturally taken charge of a fair few matches involving Man City and Man Utd. Regarding the former, he has overseen six matches in all competitions, with the Cityzens having won five and drawn one of those encounters.
He has also taken charge of six Man Utd games but the Red Devils' fortunes have been significantly worse in said outings. They have won three and lost three of the games overseen by Gillett, including the 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace and late 4-3 loss at Chelsea last season.
In his 47 Premier League games, Gillett has dished out 172 yellow cards, four red cards and 13 penalty kicks, averaging a spot kick awarded every three matches in the 2023/24 season.
READ ALL THE BUILDUP TO THE COMMUNITY SHIELD BETWEEN MAN CITY AND MAN UTD
manual