Why Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend Diogo Jota's funeral

New York Post

10 hours ago

Cristiano Ronaldo's surprising decision to skip teammate Diogo Jota's funeral was made out of respect for the grieving family, his sister claimed.
One of the biggest soccer stars in the world was noticeably absent as Jota — the Portugal star who was killed alongside his brother Andre Silva on Thursday in a car crash — was laid to rest.
Ronaldo's concern was that his presence would draw attention away from Jota and his family, including his wife of just two weeks, with whom he shared three children.
Diogo Jota's wife Rute Cardoso (C) follows the coffin of Portuguese football player Diogo Jota carried out of the church after the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva.
AFP via Getty Images
Ronaldo's sister, Katia Aveiro, recalled the invasion of privacy and 'media circus' when their own father died in 2005 as she defended her brother.
'It is absurdly shameful to watch TV channels/commentators/social networks emphasizing an absence rather than respectfully honoring the pain of a mutilated family destroyed by the loss of two brothers. I am even ashamed to watch. Regrettable,' Aveiro wrote on social media, according to reported English translations.
'And so the world goes… Society and opinion. Today they are worthless. They themselves have become bottomless pits. I feel sorry… And war is also like that. Believe me. Human evil is also a war. And every day we have to fight against it. And so it goes.'
Jota's funeral was held in the small town of Gondomar and his graveyard reportedly had to be shut off from the public because soccer fans were taking selfies at the headstone after his family left the site.
So Ronaldo's concern about becoming a distraction might have been justified.
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, celebrates with his teammate Diogo Jota after he scored his side's second goal during the Euro 2020 group B qualifying soccer match between Luxembourg and Portugal on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019.
AP
'When my father died, in addition to the pain of loss we had to deal with a flood of cameras and curious onlookers at the cemetery and everywhere we went,' Aveiro wrote. 'And attention was not what it is today in terms of access… At no time were we (the children) able to leave the chapel; it was only possible at the time of the burial, such was the commotion.
'At the funeral, there were presidents, coaches of the national team at the time, such as Luís Filipe Scolari, etc. I don't remember seeing any of them. And they certainly greeted me. The pain blinded me.'
Ronaldo expressed his grief in a social media post: 'It doesn't make sense. We were just together in the national team, and you had just gotten married. 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 Andre. We will all miss you.'
Ronaldo and Jota helped Portugal defeat Spain in the Nations League final last month. Jota also starred for Liverpool.
'It's the fear of creating a media circus because you want to do something and being unable to focus on what is really important,' Aveiro reportedly wrote. 'Silence is also empathy. Perhaps we need to learn from this. Not everything is as it seems.'