Wimbledon allow players to break strict rule to pay tribute to Diogo Jota after Liverpool star's tragic death

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Wimbledon allow players to break strict rule to pay tribute to Diogo Jota after Liverpool star's tragic death

Wimbledon organisers will relax their rule for competitors who want to pay their respects to Diogo Jota following his death.

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

Wimbledon organisers have said players will be allowed to break a strict rule to pay tribute to Diogo Jota after his death.

Liverpool star Jota and his brother and fellow footballer, Andre, died in a car crash on Thursday in Spain.

Tributes have poured in from around the sporting world following the tragic news of Jota, who passed away at the age of 28.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who was teammates with him for Portugal, and Jurgen Klopp, who managed the Portuguese during his spell in charge at Anfield, both issued heartfelt messages.

Liverpool, who signed the forward from Wolves in the summer of 2020, also released a statement in the wake of his death.

Portuguese tennis player Francisco Cabral has paid tribute to Jota, too, and intends to pay his respects at Wimbledon.

Tributes are laid at Anfield following the passing of Liverpool's Diogo Jota. Image: Getty
Tributes are laid at Anfield following the passing of Liverpool's Diogo Jota. Image: Getty

Cabral plans to wear a black armband in tribute, which has been sanctioned by bosses at Wimbledon.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club has a notoriously strict dress code during competition at Wimbledon, with competitors required to wear white.

But they will relax regulations and allow players to wear black armbands in tribute to Jota.

Francisco Cabral plans to wear a black armband in tribute to Diogo Jota at Wimbledon. Image: Getty
Francisco Cabral plans to wear a black armband in tribute to Diogo Jota at Wimbledon. Image: Getty

Speaking after his men's double victory over Jamie Murray and Rajeev Ram, Cabral revealed his desire to sport a black armband to pay his respects to Jota following his passing.

"I have seen the very sad news," he said after his first round match on Thursday.

"The guy is a big name, not just in Portugal but in the world. He was a great human being with a nice family and three kids. My best wishes to them all. For his family, it is very tough to recover from that...

"I couldn't get one in time today, but I want to in the next one."

Cabral, who has teamed up with Lucas Miedler for this year's tournament, meet Czechia duo Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl in the second round on Friday.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Diogo Jota, Liverpool, Wimbledon, Tennis

Nasir Jabbar
Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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