Mohamed Salah 'frightened' to return to Liverpool as fans mourn tragic Diogo Jota

Straits Times

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Well-wishers view flowers, scarves and shirts at a memorial set up close to Anfield football ground for their Portuguese forward Diogo Jota in Liverpool.
LONDON – Mohamed Salah said the death of Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota in a car crash had left him 'frightened' to return to the club, as devastated fans swarmed to Anfield to pay their respects.
The 28-year-old Portugal forward and his younger brother Andre Silva, 25, died in the early hours of July 3 after their car veered off a motorway in Spain and burst into flames.
A wake for the siblings was first organised at a chapel in the Porto suburb of Gondomar ahead of their funeral on July 5 while fans in Liverpool were also in mourning.
Jota's teammates have spoken of their struggle to comprehend his death, with captain Virgil van Dijk writing on Instagram that he was 'absolutely devastated and in total disbelief'.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said that the Portuguese 'will never be forgotten'.
Salah also shared his deep grief on social media, admitting he was dreading returning to the club.
'I am truly lost for words,' last season's Premier League top scorer posted on Instagram.
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'Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break. Teammates come and go but not like this. It's going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won't be there when we go back.
'My thoughts are with his wife, his children, and of course his parents who suddenly lost their children. Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten.'
Jota had married his partner Rute Cardoso on June 22, posting a video of their wedding on Instagram just hours before the accident. They had three children.
Former Liverpool captain and teammate Jordan Henderson was among thousands of mourners to lay a tribute at a temporary shrine that has built up outside Anfield.
''Jots' it was a pleasure to share a pitch with you but more importantly a friendship. All the laughs we had off the pitch,' the Ajax and England midfielder wrote on Instagram.
Fans have left flowers, scarves and shirts outside Anfield and there are similar scenes at Wolves' Molineux ground, where Jota played prior to his move to Liverpool.
Emma Dainty, 38, from Liverpool, said: 'One of our great players has just lost his life and his brother as well.
'And it's an absolute tragedy and it should not have happened, no way should it have happened. He's not just a footballer to me. He had a wife, children. He had a family. It just shouldn't have happened.'
Richard Jones, 39, a financial advisor from nearby Chester, said there was a feeling of 'disbelief' among fans of the recently crowned Premier League champions.
'We wanted to come down and just pay tribute, leave some flowers, and basically just to show our respects for such a tragic loss of life,' he said.
'You know, someone of 28 like that in the prime of his life, the prime of his career. Really, really tragic.'
Joy Taylor, 65, a Liverpool shop worker, said Jota was 'absolutely awesome'.
'He was really, really so professional,' she added. 'And he's such a lovely man. You know, every time you saw him, he was always smiling. He always had a big smile on his face. He was just an all-rounder.'
A delegation from Liverpool's city rivals Everton, including forwards Beto and Youssef Chermiti, visited to pay their respects and lay wreaths.
Liverpool have opened a book of condolence and lowered flags to half-mast.
Some of the club's players had been due back on July 4 at the start of pre-season training, but the first tranche of a phased return was postponed.
Liverpool's first pre-season match was due to take place at Preston on July 13.
But the club posted a statement on its website saying: 'Ticket sales for this game have been suspended following the devastating passing of our men's first team player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva.' AFP