Arne Slot has also issued a statement on the fatal car accident involving Diogo Jota and his brother André. Understandably, the Liverpool coach found it difficult to find the right words.
“What can I say? What can anyone say at a time like this, when the shock and pain are so incredibly hard to bear? I wish I had the words, but I know I don’t,” Arne Slot began his statement on the English champions’ website, who, like the entire football world, were shocked by the death of player Diogo Jota and his brother André on Thursday.
The Dutchman’s “first thoughts” were “not those of a football coach,” but rather “those of a father, a son, a brother, and an uncle—and they belong to the family of Diogo and André Silva, who have suffered such an unimaginable loss.”
Diogo Jota shone in many roles
On behalf of the club and the “entire football family,” Slot addressed the Liverpool motto “You’ll never walk alone” to the deceased and their families. Diogo Jota leaves behind three children and his wife, whom he married just eleven days ago.
“During our last conversation,” Slot continued, “I congratulated Diogo on winning the Nations League and wished him good luck for his upcoming wedding. In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end this way.”
At Anfield Road, they are mourning not only a “beloved person for all of us,” but also “a teammate, colleague, and companion” who was “something very special” in all these roles. The Portuguese player wore the Reds’ jersey in a total of 182 competitive games, contributing 65 goals and 26 assists to their successes.
Condolence books at Anfield Road and online
“To have lost all these qualities in such terrible circumstances is something we have not yet come to terms with,” Slot is quoted as saying, adding: “When the time comes, we will celebrate Diogo Jota – we will remember his goals and sing his song. But until then, we will remember him as a unique human being – and mourn his loss.”
Coming to terms with this loss will naturally take a long time. To make the farewell a little easier for LFC fans and the public, the club has opened condolence books. In the coming days, condolences can be shared in physical form at Anfield Road and online via the club’s website.
