Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota was driving and possibly speeding the Lamborghini car when it crashed, killing him and his brother Andre Silva, Spanish police has said in a preliminary report. According to Reuters, the forensics team is analysing the marks left by the wheels of one of the cars on the asphalt indicates a tire burst.
Police said in its team that the forensics team is trying to determine if excessive speed is the reason for the marks. The police will send its final report to the local court before it is made public. “The expert report is being prepared and finalised,” said the Civil Guard in Zamora in a statement on Tuesday. “Among other things, the marks left by one of the vehicle’s wheels are being examined. All the evidence so far indicates that the driver of the crashed vehicle was Diogo Jota. The expert report is not yet complete, but as it is subject to judicial review, it will be submitted to the Puebla de Sanabria court.”
Jota’s death at the age of 28 was received with shock and grief around the world of football and beyond. The crashed occured near Zamora in northwestern Spain and a statement from the Provincial Council confirmed the deaths on the A-52 (Palacios de Sanabria).
“The Rionegro del Puente Fire Station (Northern Zone of the @DiputacionZA Consortium) responded. The vehicle caught fire, and the flames spread to the vegetation. They were 28 and 26 years old. RIP.”
Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who played for Penafiel in the Portuguese second division, were believed to have been driving to a ferry in Spain to travel to Britain when their Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames after midnight on Thursday. They were buried in their hometown of Gondomar in northern Portugal on Saturday.
The Liverpool forward was a part of the UEFA Nations League-winning Portugal squad, led by Ronaldo, and also played in the final against Spain. After the 40-year-old Ronaldo scored the equaliser and exited the field with an injury before the end of 90 minutes, Jota came on as a substitute for the last 15 minutes of extra time before Portugal clinched the title 5-3 on penalties.
Ronaldo was among the plethora of figures from the football world who expressed grief. “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.”
Story continues below this ad
Jota is survived by his wife, Rute Cardoso, whom he married only two weeks ago in a ceremony in Porto and three children.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
