Speeding likely cause of car crash that killed Diogo Jota
MADRID : Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota was likely speeding when his car veered off a motorway in Spain last week killing him and his brother, Spanish police said today.
The shock deaths of Jota, 28, and Andre Silva, 25, on July 3 plunged the football world into mourning, less than two weeks after the striker had got married.
An ongoing investigation is examining 'the marks left by one of the vehicle's wheels… everything points to a possible excessive speed beyond the road's speed limit', the civil guard said.
'All the tests conducted so far indicate that the driver of the vehicle was Diogo Jota,' it added.
The force had previously said a tyre had probably blown out while the vehicle was overtaking, causing it to crash and burst into flames in the northwestern province of Zamora.
Just hours before the accident, Jota had posted a video of his June 22 wedding to partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children.
The deaths sparked an outpouring of grief, particularly in the brothers' native Portugal and at Jota's Premier League club Liverpool.
Political leaders as well as star players from Portugal and Liverpool joined family and friends at the funeral on Saturday in the Porto suburb of Gondomar.
Following spells at Atletico Madrid, Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Jota became a fan favourite at Liverpool after joining the Premier League giants in 2020.
He netted 65 times for the Reds in five seasons, lifting the League Cup and FA Cup in 2021/22 and helping them win a record-equalling 20th English league title last season.
The striker also earned 49 caps for Portugal and was part of the team that won this year's Uefa Nations League.
Younger brother Andre played in midfield for FC Penafiel in Portugal's second tier.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Liverpool honour 'champion' Jota in return to action at Preston
LIVERPOOL: Diogo Jota was hailed "a champion" on Sunday by Liverpool manager Arne Slot as the Reds returned to the field for the first time since the Portuguese's death, defeating Preston 3-1 in a pre-season friendly. Father of three Jota died alongside his brother Andre Silva on July 3, 11 days after marrying his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, after their car came off the road and burst into flames in northern Spain. -Advertisement- Featured Videos A rendition of Liverpool's anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" was played before kick-off at Deepdale and Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the away supporters. A minute's silence was then observed and both teams wore black armbands. Jota was part of the Liverpool side that won the Premier League last season and in his final match won the Nations League with Portugal against Spain in June. "I think what I take comfort in is that in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything," Slot said in an interview ahead of the match. "A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married. "A champion for his country because he won the Nations League with a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations. "And of course a champion for us by winning the Premier League." Mohamed Salah was among the Liverpool starting line-up and captain for the day as Virgil van Dijk was left out of the playing squad but was still in attendance. Three of the players who travelled to Gondomar, just outside Porto, for Jota's funeral last weekend, Conor Bradley, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, scored the goals in Liverpool's first steps back towards normality. Multiple renditions of Jota's song, proclaiming him to be better than Portugal legend Figo, were belted out by the Liverpool support before a ball was even kicked. In the crowd, flags emblazoned with "forever our number 20" paid tribute to the man who died aged just 28. Liverpool announced on Friday that the club will retire Jota's number 20 in his memory. Jota's song was then sung on a loop at full-time as the Liverpool squad stood in front of their fans and applauded. "It's just hit the city hard," said Liverpool fan and security officer Thomas McAllister, 48. "Once a Liverpool player you become part of the family and we take you to our hearts. It's like someone in the family has died." Earlier this week, Slot and his wife joined several players in attending the tributes that have appeared to Jota and his brother outside Anfield. "We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go," added Slot. Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez made their Liverpool debuts as Slot named two entirely different sides for each half. Liverpool had spent big in the transfer market prior to Jota's passing, breaking the club's record fee for Florian Wirtz as well as recruiting Frimpong and Kerkez in a bid to retain the Premier League title. "It must be devastating for his family, his team-mates but I think it will really unite and galvanise them to try and win the league for him," said another supporter Diggy Anderson, 60. Liverpool are next in action on an Asian tour, playing AC Milan in Hong Kong on July 26 and then away to Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos four days later.--AFP
New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Slot pays tribute to 'champion' Jota ahead of Preston friendly
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot paid tribute to Diogo Jota in an interview released on Sunday saying the Portugal forward was a "champion" in everything he did. Father of three Jota, who married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso 11 days before the accident, died alongside his brother on July 3 after their Lamborghini came off the road and burst into flames in northern Spain. "I think what I take comfort in is that in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything," Slot told the Liverpool website ahead of Sunday's friendly against Preston North End. "A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married. "A champion for his country because he won the Nations League with a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations. "And of course a champion for us by winning the Premier League." Earlier this week Slot joined several players in attending the tributes that have appeared to Jota and his brother outside Anfield. Liverpool announced this week that Jota's number 20 shirt will be retired at all levels within the club. "We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go," said Slot. "Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened. It's very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate. "I've said to them (the players), maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was. "And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself. "It didn't matter if he was talking to me, to his teammates, to the staff, he was always himself. So let us try to be ourselves as well." A number of tributes are planned for Sunday's game at Preston which is Liverpool's first pre-season friendly and their first match since the accident. — AFP
The Star
11 hours ago
- The Star
Human Writes: Deadly road crashes every few minutes
Early this month, the football world was left shocked and devastated by the tragic death of Diogo Jota, who died with his brother, André Silva, 25, when their car crashed and caught fire in Spain. At 28, Jota was at the peak of his career. He had celebrated so much in recent weeks, including winning the English Premier League with Liverpool and the Nations League with Portugal, as well as marrying his childhood sweetheart and long-term partner 11 days earlier. The disbelief has been deep, as has the outpouring of grief. People have struggled to take in how a talented player was killed in his prime, when he still had so much to live for and give. 'It doesn't make sense,' Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo said. This was indeed a terrible tragedy. But the harsh reality is that, fame aside, this is heartbreakingly common. Every day, countless young lives end in a horrific fate on the road. Their stories rarely make headlines, but the pain and loss felt by their families runs deep. Globally, road traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for young people and children (aged five to 29), with more than a million deaths annually. Malaysia ranks high in road fatalities, both globally and regionally (second highest among Asean countries). We seem to view road deaths as unavoidable, as just 'accidents' or isolated incidents. The reality is that driving is inherently risky, and we should see it as a systemic issue that needs addressing rather than simply blaming drivers. Some countries have significantly reduced road deaths by proactively working towards a safe system (which also involves safer road design and policies such as speed limits of 30kph in residential areas). It's ironic that despite the statistics, people are so shocked when a famous person dies on the road. When Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, the global disbelief was so deep that conspiracy theories flourished, speculating about a secret plot to kill her. Yet the causes behind that crash were among the most common factors of road fatalities: Speeding – higher speeds increase the risk and severity of injuries in a car crash. At the time of the crash, the car carrying Diana was speeding at over 100kph, twice the speed limit for that area, in an attempt to evade paparazzi. Lack of seat belts – Diana and the other occupants of the car were not wearing seat belts. An unbelted passenger can become a projectile in a crash. Drunk driving – even small amounts of alcohol (or drugs) can impact reaction times and judgment. The driver, who lost control of the car, had a blood alcohol content three times higher than the legal limit in France and was also taking prescribed tranquillisers. Speeding has also been cited as a top cause of road deaths in Malaysia, in addition to dangerous turning and overtaking. Rear seat belt use is particularly low in Malaysia; one expert said last week it was as low as 10%. Drunk driving is less of an issue here, but drug use (stimulants) among commercial drivers has been identified as an issue. Also, both Diana and Jota died in crashes that occurred shortly after midnight, when fatigue and visibility are more of an issue. In Jota's case, which is still under investigation, police said a tyre blowout on his Lamborghini during overtaking caused the car to veer off the road and burst into flames. Tyre blowouts are a common precursor to serious crashes. The road of the crash site has been criticised for having potholes while authorities are also investigating 'possible speeding'. What feels particularly tragic to me is that Jota was advised by doctors to drive rather than fly after recent minor surgery on his lung. So with his brother, also an international footballer, he planned to drive over 600km from Porto, Portugal, to Santander in Spain, to catch a ferry to England. It was a fatal choice. If road safety had been considered, perhaps the odds might have been in favour of flying, given that deaths from commercial aircraft crashes are very low. Football will eventually move on, but for Jota's parents, who have lost their only children, and his widow, who now has to raise their three kids alone, this tragedy will leave a lasting void and ache. The news of Jota's death brought back memories for my aunt of the loss of her own brother decades ago. My uncle was just 22 when he was killed on a road trip to Penang, caught in a crash between two lorries. His death was deeply felt, but he was just one number in a sad statistic. In the time you've taken to read this article, a few more crashes would have occurred. As reported in The Star in March, every 50 seconds there is a road incident, and every two hours, another road death. How long more will we allow this to go on? Mangai Balasegaram writes mostly on health, but also delves into anything on being human. She has worked with international public health bodies and has a Masters in public health. Write to her at lifestyle@ The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.
