Liverpool retire Diogo Jota's No. 20 shirt in emotional tribute after fatal crash kills forward and brother
'After consultation with his wife, Rute, and family, the club can announce the squad number will be retired in honour and memory of Diogo across all levels, including LFC Women and Academy,' the club announced yesterday.
'I believe this is the first time in Liverpool Football Club's history that such an honour has been bestowed upon an individual,' the club's chief executive Michael Edwards noted.
'Therefore, we can say this is a unique tribute to a uniquely wonderful person,' he added.
Liverpool return to action for the first time since the July 3 tragedy at English Championship side Preston in a pre-season friendly on Sunday.
A rendition of Liverpool's anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' will be played prior to the 1400 GMT kick-off and Preston will lay a wreath in front of the away supporters.
A minute's silence will then be observed, digital tributes displayed on the stadium big screen and on pitchside advertising boards and players from both teams will wear black armbands.
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New Straits Times
7 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
8 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.
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Liverpool boss Slot makes heartfelt tribute to Jota ahead of pre-season match
(Reuters) -Liverpool boss Arne Slot said it had been difficult for the team to get back to work after the death of Diogo Jota and so he had suggested to his players that perhaps the best way forward was to follow their late teammate's shining example. Liverpool were kicking off their pre-season friendlies with a game at Preston on Sunday, 10 days after Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in Spain on July 3. "What I've said to the players, it's very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate," Slot said in an emotional interview with Liverpool's in-house media. "What is appropriate in our actions? What is appropriate (for) what we have to say? Can we train again? Can we laugh again? Can we be angry if there's a wrong decision? "And I've said to them, maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was," he added. "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. So, if we want to laugh we laugh; if we want to cry we're going to cry." Liverpool delayed the return of players to pre-season training as most of them attended the funeral in Portugal last week. The club announced on Friday that they would permanently retire Jota's number 20. Slot said the 28-year-old, who played a key role in Liverpool winning the Premier League title this past season, was one player he could always count on in difficult moments. "I always looked at him and said, 'now we need something special from you'," Slot said. "And he delivered so many times. I can come up with all of these moments. "So we are in a very difficult time, so let's try to do what Diogo did so many times. If it's so difficult then try a little bit harder or just keep on going and try to make it work." Slot, who said the team would always carry Jota in their hearts, said it was a challenge to see anything, including football, as "important if we think of what has happened". "But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not." (Reporting by Lori Ewing; editing by Clare Fallon)
