The president of the Portuguese FA has defended Cristiano Ronaldo after the nationwide workforce captain obtained backlash for not attending Diogo Jota’s funeral.
The footballing world was left surprised a month in the past when information broke that Jota and his brother Andre Silva had been killed in a automobile crash in northern Spain.
The tragic accident got here simply 11 days after Jota had married childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso, additionally 28, who’s the mom of his two sons Dinis, 4, and Duarte, two, in addition to his child daughter Mafalda, who’s eight months previous.
Ronaldo was Jota’s Portugal nationwide workforce captain and plenty of have been shocked that he was not current on the funeral which passed off days later in Gondomar.
Some have been greater than shocked, with Ronaldo going through criticism on-line for his absence after Portugal stars corresponding to Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva made appearances.
The Al-Nassr star is claimed to haven’t made the journey as he didn’t want for his presence to overshadow the significance of individuals paying their respects to Jota and his brother.
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) didn’t attend the funeral of Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota (proper)
Portuguese FA chief Pedro Proenca (left) has come to the defence of the nationwide workforce captain
Jota’s funeral passed off in his hometown of Gondomar simply days after his tragic loss of life
And Pedro Proenca, president of the Portuguese Soccer Federation, has hit again on the criticism.
‘It is an immense injustice to say that Cristiano, ultimately, performed a extra indifferent position on this,’ he mentioned.
‘From the very starting, the captain was with us and was one of many individuals who most carefully linked with the nationwide workforce household, with Jota’s personal blood household.
‘And I say it once more: what they mentioned about our captain is unfair. Cristiano Ronaldo, he was one of many individuals who felt it essentially the most, particularly as a result of he was a real team-mate of Jota.
‘His bodily absence means nothing greater than that, as a result of he by no means deserted this household.’
Jota and Ronaldo by no means performed collectively at membership degree however have been team-mates for the Portuguese nationwide workforce.
They each shared in Portugal’s Nations League triumphs in 2019 and 2025 and performed a complete of 32 instances collectively.
After Jota and his brother Andre’s deaths, Ronaldo wrote on social media: ‘It does not make sense. Simply now we have been collectively within the nationwide workforce, simply now you had gotten married.
Numerous Portugal gamers have been current, together with Man United midfielder Bruno Fernandes
Diogo (proper) and his brother Andre Silva (left) have been tragically killed in a automobile accident
‘To your loved ones, your spouse, and your kids, I ship my condolences and need all of them the energy on the earth. I do know you’ll all the time be with them.
‘Relaxation in Peace, Diogo and André. We are going to all miss you.’
In June, Ronaldo skippered his facet to Nations League glory in a workforce that Jota was additionally a part of as Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties.
He was additionally defender by his sister, katia, after not attending.
She wrote on Instagram: ‘When my father died, along with the ache of loss, we needed to cope with a flood of cameras and curious onlookers on the cemetery and in every single place we went.
‘And a spotlight was not what it’s immediately by way of entry… At no time have been we (the youngsters) in a position to depart the chapel; it was solely potential on the time of the burial, such was the commotion.
‘On the funeral, there have been presidents, coaches of the nationwide workforce on the time, corresponding to Luís Filipe Scolari, and so on. I do not bear in mind seeing any of them. And so they definitely greeted me. The ache blinded me.
‘About ache/household and actual assist… You’ll by no means know what it means till you undergo it. If somebody sends me a message criticising something my brother does, I’ll block it (fully ignore it), that’s, they’ll solely do it as soon as.
Ronaldo confronted some criticism for his absence however sister Katia Aveiro jumped to his defence
‘It is getting tiring. The fanaticism. The criticism for nothing, I repeat nothing… Sick society… All of us have households.
‘It’s absurdly shameful to look at TV channels/commentators/social networks emphasising an absence (smart) moderately than respectfully honouring the ache of a mutilated household destroyed by the lack of two brothers. I’m even ashamed to look at. Regrettable.
‘And so the world goes… Society and opinion. In the present day they’re nugatory. They themselves have turn into bottomless pits. I really feel sorry… And battle can also be like that. Consider me. Human evil can also be a battle. And day by day now we have to struggle in opposition to it. And so it goes.’
