The footballing world recently witnessed a significant controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence from the funeral of his former Portugal national team colleague, Diogo Jota. This sparked considerable public backlash and scrutiny, prompting the president of the Portuguese Football Association (FA) to step forward and vehemently defend the iconic captain, labeling the criticism as an “immense injustice.” The FA chief underscored Ronaldo’s deep connection to the national team family and, crucially, to Jota’s own blood relatives, asserting that the superstar was far from detached during this period of mourning.

The tragic catalyst for this somber event was the untimely death of Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, who were both killed in a devastating car crash in northern Spain approximately a month prior. This profound loss sent shockwaves through the football community, coming just eleven days after Jota, aged 28, had married his childhood sweetheart, Rute Cardoso. The couple shared two young sons, Dinis and Duarte, and an eight-month-old baby daughter, Mafalda, making the circumstances all the more heartbreaking for the family and the wider football fraternity.

Despite the overwhelming grief, the focus quickly shifted to Ronaldo’s non-attendance at the funeral, held in Gondomar. Several prominent Portugal stars, including Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and Joao Cancelo, were present, which only intensified the public’s surprise and the subsequent online criticism directed at the Al-Nassr forward. Many questioned his apparent lack of presence, given his stature and close association with Jota as a national team captain and teammate.

However, the Portuguese FA president presented a compelling counter-narrative, passionately refuting claims of Ronaldo’s indifference. He emphasized that from the outset of the tragedy, Ronaldo had been intimately involved, demonstrating profound empathy and connection. The president reiterated that to suggest Ronaldo played a detached role was entirely unfair and misinformed, highlighting his genuine concern and solidarity with all affected by the loss of Diogo Jota.

The underlying reason for Ronaldo’s absence, as explained by those close to him, was a deliberate and sensitive decision. It was conveyed that the star chose not to attend the funeral to avoid his immense global presence from overshadowing the solemnity of the occasion. Ronaldo reportedly did not wish for the media circus that invariably accompanies his appearances to detract from the primary purpose of the gathering: for people to respectfully pay their tributes and mourn the loss of Diogo Jota and his brother without undue distraction.

Diogo Jota and Cristiano Ronaldo shared a significant on-field bond, having played together 32 times for the Portugal national team. Their collective achievements included Portugal’s memorable Nations League triumph in 2019, where Jota was an integral part of the squad led by Ronaldo. This shared history and camaraderie underscore the personal connection between the two players, making the FA’s defense of Ronaldo’s deep feelings of loss even more poignant.

Following the deaths of Jota and Andre, Ronaldo himself had expressed his profound grief on social media, writing, “It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the national team, just now you had gotten married.” The Portuguese FA president further lamented the media’s emphasis on Ronaldo’s absence rather than the profound pain of the bereaved family, condemning it as “absurdly shameful” and asserting that such focus diverted attention from truly honoring the memory of the two brothers.

Ultimately, the Portuguese FA’s robust defense aims to rectify what it perceives as a severe misjudgment of Cristiano Ronaldo’s character and his true sentiments regarding the passing of Diogo Jota. The narrative put forth is one of a captain deeply affected by the loss, who made a difficult but considerate choice to ensure the focus remained on the tribute to his fallen teammate, rather than on his own celebrity. The incident serves as a reminder of the intense scrutiny faced by global football icons and the complexities of public perception versus private grief.