The bodies of Liverpool striker Diogo Jota and his younger brother André Silva have arrived at a church in Portugal as preparations for their funeral begin.
Family, friends, and mourners are expected to gather early Friday morning for a wake in Gondomar, following the tragic accident that claimed both brothers’ lives on Thursday, July 3.
According to local priest Jose Manuel Macedo, the wake will take place at 8 a.m. at Capela de Ressurreição.
The funeral service is scheduled for Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at Igreja Matriz, the Catholic church located next door.
“We’re available to celebrate [their life] with everyone and to share the pain and the Christian hope,” Macedo told CNN.
Reports say the accident happened when the tyre of Jota’s Lamborghini Huracán burst while he was overtaking another vehicle on the A-52 highway near Cernadilla, just across the border in Spain.
The car veered off the road, flipped, and caught fire around 12:35 a.m.. The crash also set nearby vegetation ablaze.
It was gathered that emergency services were called to the scene but were unable to save the brothers.
Diogo Jota, 28, and André, 26, were reportedly driving to Santander to catch a ferry to the UK.
The Liverpool forward had recently undergone lung surgery and had been advised against flying.
A Spanish government official, Ángel Blanco, confirmed that both brothers died at the scene.
Today’s wake is being held just 30 minutes from Jota’s hometown of Porto, where only two weeks ago, he had celebrated his wedding to his longtime partner, Rute Cardoso, in the presence of family and close friends.
See some photos below:
KanyiDaily recalls that Liverpool and other football clubs reacted with deep sadness after Diogo Jota died in the car accident.