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Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota, Football
Luke Davies
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister has explained the reasons why the Al Nassr forward did not attend the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva.
Jota, 28, died alongside his brother, Silva, 25, on Thursday morning after the Lamborghini they were travelling in caught fire following a tyre blowout in northwestern Spain.
Tributes from around the footballing world quickly began pouring in once the news broke, with Lionel Messi, Ronaldo, Jurgen Klopp, and all of the football clubs Jota represented paying homage.
Ronaldo posted a heartfelt tribute of his own, which read: “It doesn't make sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you had 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 André. We will all miss you.”
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Then, on Saturday, a joint funeral for Silva and Jota took place at Matriz de Gondomar church with Arne Slot, Jordan Henderson and Virgil van Dijk among the high-profile figures in attendance.
However, Ronaldo was not present, but his sister explained the reasons for his absence.
In a post on Instagram, Katia Aveiro wrote: “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. 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.
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“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.
“About pain/family and real support... You will never know what it means until you go through it. If someone sends me a message criticising anything my brother does, I will block it (completely ignore it), that is, they will only do it once.
“It's getting tiring. The fanaticism. The criticism for nothing, I repeat nothing... Sick society... We all have families. It is absurdly shameful to watch TV channels/commentators/social networks emphasising an absence rather than respectfully honouring the pain of a mutilated family destroyed by the loss of two brothers. I am even ashamed to watch. Regrettable.
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“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.”