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Portuguese football chief defends Ronaldo after Al-Hilal star slammed for not attending Jota funeral: 'Immense injustice'
Cristiano Ronaldo faced criticism for his absence from the funeral of Portugal and Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva last month. AP/Reuters
Cristiano Ronaldo had come under fire for not attending the funeral of Portugal teammate Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva last month after their lives were tragically cut short in a car accident in Spain. Jota and Silva, who was also a footballer, were laid to rest in their hometown of Gondomar in Portugal on 5 July, two days after meeting with a fatal accident in the Spanish province of Zamora while they were on their way to catch a ferry to England from the port city of Santander.
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Some of the biggest names in the world of football had descended in Gondomar to attend the brothers' funeral, including Liverpool boss Arne Slot and defender Virgil van Dijk as well as other Portuguese stars in the Premier League such as Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva. Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa too had arrived to pay their respects.
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Portuguese FA chief defends Ronaldo for not attending Jota funeral
Ronaldo's absence did not go unnoticed and led to the Portuguese superstar facing criticism on social media. The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), however, came to Ronaldo's defence over his decision to skip the funeral.
'It's an immense injustice to say that Cristiano, in some way, played a more detached role in this. From the very beginning, the captain was with us and was one of the people who most closely connected with the national team family, with Jota's own blood family,' FPF president Pedro Proenca said.
'And I say it again: what they said about our captain is unfair. Cristiano Ronaldo, he was one of the people who felt it the most, especially because he was a true team-mate of Jota. His physical absence means nothing more than that, because he never abandoned this family,' he added.
Ronaldo, who had helped Portugal defeat Spain in the final of the UEFA Nations League alongside Liverpool forward Jota, was among the first to react the tragic news on social media.
'It doesn't make sense. We were just together with the national team, you had just gotten married,' the 40-year-old wrote on X. 'To your family, your wife, and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo and André. We will all miss you.'
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Jota leaves behind three children with his childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso, whom he had married just 11 days before the fatal crash in Spain.
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