Several Liverpool FC players are expected to attend the funeral for Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva in Portugal on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Portugal international and his brother died in a crash in Zamora, northwestern Spain, at around 12.30am local time on Thursday when the Lamborghini the pair were travelling in veered off the road.
The Spanish authorities said their car left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle, while a Spanish government source told the PA news agency that the crash was being investigated as a “possible speeding incident”.
The crash took place just 11 days after Mr Jota‘s wedding to his long-term partner Rute Cordoso, with whom he had three children.
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Their bodies were repatriated to Portugal after being identified by the family, Spanish government officials said.
The brothers’ funeral is scheduled for 10am, according to officials in their hometown of Gondomar. It is set to be held at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church.
Liverpool FC players, most of whom are still on summer holiday, are expected to attend, after it is believed the club chartered a flight to Portugal, according to local media. Liverpool has not confirmed any arrangements.
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Emotional attendees at wake
The club’s executives and backroom staff, including CEO Billy Hogan, technical director Julian Ward and sporting director Richard Hughes, also attended a wake for Mr Jota and Mr Silva, held in a chapel next to the Gondomar church on Friday.
The wake was initially private and attended by the brothers’ families, including Mr Jota’s wife, but was later opened up to the public, with hundreds queuing outside the chapel to pay their respects.
Among the attendees was former Chelsea and Spurs boss Andre Villa-Boas, who is now the president of Portuguese club Porto, where Mr Silva played at youth level.
“There’s nothing that can overcome the pain of the family,” Villa-Boas told Sky News sports correspondent Rob Harris outside the wake. “To a father, to a mother, it’s unbearable.”
Mr Villa-Boas said Mr Jota and Mr Silva were perfect examples of “what a professional [footballer] should be”.
Addressing the outpouring of tributes from the brothers’ local community, he added: “This is something those two boys deserve.”
Nottingham Forest’s Jota Silva, born in Gondomar, and Jota’s former Wolves and Portugal team-mate Joao Moutinho were also among the mourners, with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation Pedro Proenca and Porto president Andre Villas-Boas also visiting.
The country’s president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and prime minister Luis Montenegro also attended the wake.
Read more:
Crowds in Portugal gather for the saddest of homecomings
Jota’s joyous final weeks make his death even more devastating
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Tearful tributes at Liverpool stadium
At Anfield, fans left flowers, shirts, scarves and cards at a temporary shrine for Mr Jota.
A tearful former Liverpool captain and team-mate, Jordan Henderson, laid down flowers on Friday and signed a book of condolence.
In a tribute on Instagram, Mr Henderson said Mr Jota was “a pleasure to be around” and share a pitch as well as friendship with, adding: “I know how much Rute and your family meant to you and I know you will always be looking down on them. Thank you for everything you brought into this world, we will all miss you.”
Liverpool FC said they are “devastated” by Mr Jota’s “tragic passing”, while the Portuguese national team said the country is “completely devastated”.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said “I wish I had the words but I know I do not” and insisted Mr Jota “will never be forgotten”, while former manager Jurgen Klopp said he was “heartbroken” by the news, adding “there must be a bigger purpose, but I can’t see it”.
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s star forward who has joined fellow teammates in paying tribute to Mr Jota, said he was dreading returning to the club in the wake of his death.
Some players were set to start preliminaries of pre-season testing on Friday, but the first part of a phased return was postponed following the tragedy.
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“I am truly lost for words. Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break,” Salah wrote on social media.
“Team-mates 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.”
