LFCTV returns with special tribute to Jota as players return
Liverpool Football Club will air a special tribute to Diogo Jota on LFCTV this Monday evening, marking the channel's first live broadcast since the devastating news of the Portuguese forward's death.
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Jota, aged 28, and his brother, André Silva, lost their lives in a road traffic accident in Spain in the early hours of Thursday 3 July. The pair were travelling to catch a ferry back to England ahead of the start of Liverpool's pre-season when their vehicle veered off the road following a suspected tyre blowout.
Gondomar Farewell Draws Club Unity
The funeral took place on Saturday in Jota's hometown of Gondomar, where new head coach Arne Slot, senior Liverpool officials and a majority of the first-team squad were present. The club's show of support offered a public display of togetherness and mourning, as players prepared to reassemble for pre-season training under the most tragic of circumstances.
The occasion was deeply emotional, yet underscored the respect and affection Jota commanded from teammates and staff alike during his time on Merseyside.
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LFCTV Pays Tribute to Jota's Legacy
Since the incident, LFCTV has paused all regular programming. In its place, viewers have seen a continuous on-screen memorial featuring a black-and-white image of Jota forming a heart with his hands — a celebration now forever associated with his connection to the club and its supporters.
The tribute includes Liverpool's official statement:
'Diogo Jota 1996–2025. Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. The 28-year-old passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain, along with his brother, Andre.'
It continues:
'Liverpool FC requests the privacy of Diogo and Andre's family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.'
The club is maintaining its full support for those impacted by the tragedy, both within the footballing structure and in the wider Liverpool community.
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Players Prepare to Return Amid Grief
The return to training will take place in a subdued atmosphere, with the shadow of Jota's passing still heavy across the squad. However, the planned LFCTV tribute will serve as a unifying moment for players, staff and fans alike.
Alongside Monday night's dedicated broadcast, the club has intermittently aired a three-minute-and-34-second video across LFCTV and its digital channels. The video features a collection of Jota's standout Liverpool moments — goals, celebrations, and his impact off the pitch — offering a poignant and lasting reminder of what he brought to the team.
Supporters wishing to pay their respects are encouraged to visit liverpoolfc.com, where further tribute content and information on memorial activities can be found.
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As Liverpool players return to action and preparations for the new campaign begin, the club remains committed to ensuring that Jota's legacy is honoured properly — both on LFCTV and within the heart of everything the team builds moving forward.
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Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Dubois and the danger of being young, free and fearless
After knocking out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round of a fight at Wembley Stadium last September, Daniel Dubois knew the hard part was still to come, so could not afford to relax. All around him, in a ring once empty, were people, cameras and microphones, each a reminder that his next task was to describe what he had just done. Think boy on the naughty step. Think suspect in the interrogation room. (Think, Daniel, think.) He had found the punches — crucially, a short right hand — but would now have to find words, typically more elusive. Now he would be asked how he did it. Now he would be asked how he felt. To pass the test, Dubois required words and emotions, two things prohibited during the fight. For some fighters, these things come back quickly, overwhelmingly so, whereas for others, like Dubois, the wait tends to be a long one. He is, when wearing gloves, unthinking and unfeeling and it can be no other way. It is how he likes and prefers it. It is how he has been programmed. Chances are, despite the danger of being alone in the ring with Joshua, he felt safe there, comfortable. There was only the referee to interrupt them and only Joshua's hands, his left and right, capable of either hurting or embarrassing him. He was, to some extent, in control of both the situation and himself. Then, when the fight ended, so did Dubois' control. Now he was back among the living, back among those with whom it was tougher to communicate and feel comfortable. Punches, in that world, no longer counted. They had all been thrown. They could no longer command respect, nor speak on his behalf and express his emotions. He instead had to find words. The right ones. 'Erm, I've only got a few things to say, man,' said Dubois, to the surprise of nobody. He then smiled and addressed the 90,000 fans in the stadium: 'Are you not entertained?!' Even louder: 'ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!' As familiar to the crowd as they were to Dubois, those four words may have started with Maximus Decimus Meridius, but had more recently been uttered by Tyson Fury and others in the aftermath of prizefights. For that reason, the words stuck with Dubois and he turned to them, automatically, when expected to speak, despite having been asked a question pertaining to the fight he had just won. It was, in a sense, no more than mimicry; a childlike mimicry. It required no introspection. It required no thought. The same, too, could be said of the way Dubois went after Joshua at Wembley that night. For even if there was thought and method behind what Dubois had plotted and executed — and there was — the important thing from his perspective was that he remained detached, cold, clear-headed at all times. Such clarity allowed him to shake from his mind the underdog tag and the reputation of his opponent, and it gave him the freedom to then attack Joshua from the outset. It also explained why Joshua, the thinker of the two, suddenly looked so overawed when confronted by a man able to clear his mind in a way Joshua, the former champion, no longer can. Why that is, one can only speculate, but we know this much: Damage and defeat lead to overthinking, and overthinking will often stifle a fighter's ability to act on instinct. That certainly seems true of Joshua, whose four professional defeats have all given him pause for thought. His first defeat, against Andy Ruiz back in 2019, revealed to him and to the world his fragility, while his next two, both against Usyk, highlighted his technical deficiencies. All three wounded Joshua and left him in a kind of no man's land, stuck between styles and a stranger to himself. If Ruiz reminded him of the need to be cautious and try to think and box a bit more, Usyk then cruelly reminded him of his limitations as a boxer before asking him: 'Who told you to think?' By the time Joshua suffered his fourth loss, against Dubois, he was a furrowed brow of a man; a knot of scar tissue and mixed signals. The last thing he wanted, in that state of mind, was an expressionless, one-track terminator looking back at him — staring not at him, but through him. Yet that is exactly what he got in the shape of Dubois. He got someone whose ignorance was a weapon and whose simplicity and spotless mind was preferable, in a fight, to a mind bloated by bad memories and associations. He got a man with no nerves and only the slightest hint of a pulse. A man empty, fearless, with whom Joshua could neither hang nor connect. Whether Joshua himself was an ignorant man trying to be a thinking man, or a thinking man trying to be an ignorant man, he wasn't up to playing either role. In Dubois, he had lost to an ignorant man, and against Usyk, to whom he lost in 2021 and 2022, he was bested by a thinking man. Both losses, aside from being painful, had indicated how far Joshua was from using either ignorance or wisdom as weapons, and both were reminders that being 'normal' — that is, neither simple nor smart — is sometimes the worst thing for a professional fighter. Against Usyk, for instance, that's all Joshua was: Normal. He was not clever enough to compete on the same level as Usyk technically, nor ignorant enough to risk everything and go for it the way Derek Chisora did, if only for four rounds, against the Ukrainian in 2020. As a result, Joshua suffered the same fate as every other Usyk opponent at either heavyweight or cruiserweight. He was tamed, he was controlled, and he was taken apart, psychologically as much as physically. Afterward, Joshua then grabbed the mic and demonstrated the extent of his confusion with a muddled monologue linguists are still attempting to translate to this day. It was in English, yet it made no sense. Usyk, it appeared, hadn't just beaten him. He had robbed Joshua of language. Usyk, meanwhile, was far more coherent. He simply said, 'I am feel,' as is his custom, and flashed that gap-toothed smile of his. He is, like Dubois, a man of few words, at least English ones, but that is fine, for nobody is counting. In fact, far from being stunted by the language barrier, Usyk has found comfort in a catchphrase and other eccentricities, seeming at times like a mime artist content to use their face to convey whatever is on their mind. By doing so, he not only defuses opponents by lulling them into a false sense of security, but he retains an element of mystery, which in turn makes him hard to read. His personality might be that of the court jester, but his actions in the ring are those of a genius — and yes, always hard to read. In the ring, Usyk shows that intelligence is not the ability to put words together in someone else's language. It is instead a different kind of fluency; a different kind of expression. With a language all of his own, Usyk makes right left, left right, and everything you do wrong. Of course, it's worth noting that Usyk is not the first Ukrainian heavyweight champion whose in-ring intelligence seems out of place in boxing. His predecessors, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, were every bit as smart and even had PhDs — both in sport science — to prove it. Vitali, now the mayor of Kyiv, was the older of the two brothers and the one less inclined to smile, whereas Wladimir had the friendlier exterior, a better grasp of English, and a greater interest in America and all it could offer. On fight night, there were other differences between the pair, and stark ones at that. In fact, often it was said that the best heavyweight in the world would be a combination of the two. From Wladimir you would take the left jab and the right cross, and from Vitali you would take the chin and the stamina. You might also look at their minds and combine those as well. For although these were both highly intelligent men, there was a subtle shift in mentality whenever they slipped on boxing gloves and entered the ring. In the case of Wladimir, this sometimes meant a period of overthinking and too much caution for fear of what could go wrong. In the case of Vitali, however, this meant a period of bring-it-on ignorance during which he would become liberated by the permission to hurt and relish the opportunity to give and take punches. It was quite the switch for Vitali, and one made only more jarring by how reticent Wladimir was by comparison, especially as his career progressed. One day Wladimir was the intrepid kid queuing up to ride the roller coaster with his big brother, and the next he was the old man standing back, cognizant of both how the roller coaster is made and how it can all go wrong. Early on, though, it's true: Wladimir had been as ignorant and oblivious as any heavyweight prospect starting out. He, like them all, fired his right hand with reckless abandon, and he too could see no way that either an opponent could take it or that they would have the temerity to fire back at him. But then, in 1998, Wladimir imploded against Ross Puritty, and with that first loss came a dose of reality and a degree of insight he could have done without. The excavation of self duly began, and everything Wladimir questioned, or doubted, was then compounded when Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster added supporting material to Puritty's initial findings. For a fighter like Wladimir, an awareness of pain, physical or of defeat, is in itself damaging. After all, an active, high-functioning brain like his tends to struggle to remove memories and associations and has difficulty considering anything, let alone defeat, as 'just one of those things.' Moving on, therefore, becomes a little more challenging. It can be done — and Wladimir eventually did it — but often what is required is a complete overhaul, of either style or attitude, and rarely, for better or worse, will the fighter ever be the same. In terms of Wladimir, some will say he improved for having lost multiple times, but cleverness and caution could never harmoniously coexist and seldom was he given the credit he deserved. His brother, on the other hand, received plenty. He was considered the warrior of the two, if only because he was less cerebral in style than Wladimir and fought with an ignorance easier to understand and enjoy. Vitali, you see, though beaten twice, had never been beaten like Wladimir. He had lost once by injury stoppage (against Chris Byrd in 2000) and once due to cuts (against Lennox Lewis in 2003), but on neither occasion did Vitali come away doubting himself or internalizing the events and associated trauma. Even if his body was damaged and his face cut up, his mind, in a boxing sense, remained spotless. Good as new. That ability to not belabor is key to any boxer's success and has clearly fueled Dubois' recent form. He, too, is no stranger to defeat, but rather than linger on it, or find himself blunted by it, sallies forth undeterred: Head down, keep going. His first loss, against Joe Joyce back in 2020, saw the Brit outworked and hurt — he suffered a fractured eye socket — before staying down on one knee to be counted out in Round 10. He was then just as hurt by the reaction to the loss, with many accusing Dubois of 'quitting' and suggesting that the nature of the defeat was more worrying than the defeat itself. The nature of the defeat, they said, had exposed a certain softness in Dubois, something impossible to remove by lifting weights or hitting bags. But he has, to his credit, since allayed this concern. His next defeat, in 2023, was inflicted by Usyk, the man he fights this Saturday at Wembley Stadium. In the presence of Usyk, Dubois' ignorance, so often a tool, was not only magnified but led to him being stopped in Round 9, having had very little success in the previous eight. The only question now, ahead of the pair's rematch, is how Dubois will react to that second loss and whether he opts to forget it completely or takes from it what he needs. Dwell too much on it and it might cloud an otherwise free and ignorant mind. However, complete ignorance and a disregard for the truth tends to only entice a repeat performance and the same result, with no lessons learned. It is, and always has been, a hard thing to balance and get right. Ask Dubois and perhaps even he won't know what he plans to do on Saturday night. Perhaps that's a good thing, too. Perhaps that's the point. As for Usyk, expect no more thorough explanation ahead of fight two. He also believes in the maxim 'show, don't tell' and has smiles, dance moves, and a catchphrase if ever he wants to deflect, or keep them all guessing. He will accept that fight two is likely to be different, but how different? That is the question. Dubois, once a challenger, now has a belt — the IBF title stripped from Usyk — and Usyk, who claims the other belts, is smart enough to acknowledge that his opponent, at age 27, is a different fighter from the one he disciplined two years ago. In a word, Dubois has matured. He is filling out hand-me-down suits and inside them feels grown and powerful. 'Tell this little boy he can't disrespect me,' said Joshua ahead of their fight last year. Yet Dubois, in the end, did more than just disrespect him: He reminded him how it felt to be young, free and fearless. Now, having come of age, Dubois is encouraged to make himself heard and has both a platform and an audience for whenever he finds his voice. He also has experience, as both a boxer and a man. No longer a boy, and no longer home-schooled by his dad, Dubois has, in his 20s, been busy learning other lessons — some painful, some harsh — and has even been lucky enough to have been schooled by the greatest teacher of them all: Oleksandr Usyk. The problem now, of course, is that Dubois must try to use everything he learned from that teacher against him, something only the bravest student would ever attempt. Either that or the most ignorant.
Forbes
8 minutes ago
- Forbes
How Themba Bavuma Is Making A Difference Beyond The Boundary Line
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Temba Bavuma of South Africa celebrates with the ICC World Test ... More Championship Mace following his team's victory on Day Four of the ICC World Test Championship Final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground on June 14, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images) When Temba Bavuma lifted the ICC T20 World Cup trophy this year, the moment carried a meaning far beyond cricket. For South Africa, it ended a 26-year wait for an ICC title, igniting celebrations across a nation with a complicated sporting history. But for Bavuma, it was a reminder of something even greater. As South Africa's first Black African cricket captain, Bavuma has always carried more than just the hopes of his teammates. He holds the dreams of communities who see themselves reflected in his journey, many for the first time. 'It's a responsibility I carry with pride,' he says. 'Being the first Black African captain in a sport with such a complex history means I'm constantly aware of the space I occupy.' This sense of responsibility goes beyond leading his team on the field; it's reflected in his partnership with DKMS Africa, where he works to raise awareness about blood cancers and the urgent need for stem cell donors in underrepresented communities. 'Partnering with DKMS Africa aligns with that responsibility,' he shared in an interview with 'It's about showing up for our communities in meaningful ways, especially in spaces where we are underrepresented, like healthcare.' For Bavuma, lifting trophies is just one part of his purpose. 'Winning the ICC trophy was a proud moment for the team and the country,' he reflects. 'But more than anything, it reminded me of the platform we have as athletes.' For him, that platform isn't just about records or silverware. The real victory lies in using these moments to uplift others and champion life beyond the pitch, from breaking barriers in cricket to raising awareness about life-saving stem cell donations, creating a legacy defined not only by runs scored or titles won, but by hope restored and lives changed. A Leader Beyond Cricket Bavuma partnered with DKMS Africa to raise awareness about blood cancers and blood disorders. The partnership emerged from his growing awareness of the urgent need for stem cell donors in South Africa, particularly among Black, Coloured, and Asian communities. Temba Bavuma and The DP World Lions have collaborated with DKMS Africa to Tackle Blood Cancer and ... More Disorders Learning about the issue was eye-opening for Bavuma. 'The stats were hard to ignore,' he says. 'Learning how difficult it is for patients in our communities to find matches, it really hit home. It's not because people don't care, but because there's a lack of awareness. That moved me to want to help change that.' In South Africa, only about 0.36% of the population is registered as stem cell donors, and Black patients face disproportionately low chances of finding a match. For many, a transplant is their only hope for survival. The disparity is not unique to South Africa – it reflects global underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in donor registries, rooted in historical inequities and access barriers. Bavuma sees parallels between his experiences in cricket and those faced by patients in healthcare. 'In both spaces, underrepresentation is rooted in history and systemic issues. Whether it's in sport or healthcare, the barriers are real, but so is the potential to overcome them. Just as we've pushed for transformation in cricket, we need to push for equity in health outcomes. It starts with awareness and access.' Grounding Advocacy in Personal Encounters Iminathi and Temba Bavuma During A Tour Of The DP World Stadium His commitment to the campaign became deeply personal when he met Iminathi, a young boy whose story transformed the cause from abstract statistics into a powerful reality. Like Bavuma, Iminathi has hopes and dreams, yet he faces the harsh reality of waiting for a stem cell donor, a fight that steals away the carefree innocence of childhood. 'Meeting Iminathi was incredibly emotional,' Bavuma shares. 'When you put a face to the issue, it changes everything. He is just a child with dreams like any of us have. That moment made the campaign real for me. It's not about stats, it's about lives. Lives we can help save.' This sense of responsibility inspired Bavuma to deepen his partnership with DKMS Africa by involving the DP World Lions. 'It felt like a natural next step,' he explains. 'The Lions have always stood for something bigger than cricket: community, resilience, and unity. Partnering with DKMS Africa through the team means we can amplify the message, reach more people, and encourage more donor registrations. It's about moving from awareness to action, and I'm proud to have the Lions behind this cause.' Jono Wright (CEO of Lions Cricket). Iminathi and Temba Bavuma Reflecting on the impact he hopes to achieve, Bavuma emphasises the power of personal stories to inspire change. 'I hope we inspire people to register as stem cell donors and realise the life-saving difference they can make. Iminathi's story is more than emotional; it's a call to action. If even one person signs up after hearing it, that could mean hope for a family, and that's everything." Reflecting on the bigger picture, Bavuma adds, 'Long term, I want to see greater representation on the donor registry, especially from African communities. Having lost a loved one to a similar condition, I understand just how vital that hope is.' For Bavuma, leading by example is fundamental. 'It's one thing to lend your name to a campaign, but it's another to show up, speak up, and get involved. If I want others to take action, I have to do the same. That's how trust is built.' The Power of Sport to Drive Change Temba Bavuma Sharing His Personal Story Behind His Choice To Partner With DKMS Africa As national captain, Bavuma's influence stretches far beyond cricket circles. In a country still grappling with economic inequality, health disparities, and social divides, sport has always been a powerful unifier. 'Sport has the ability to unify, to educate, and to inspire action,' he says. 'As athletes, we're in a unique position to amplify messages that matter. Whether it's health, education, or social justice, we can be part of the solution, if we choose to be.' For many young South Africans, Bavuma's rise is a testament to possibility. His grounded demeanour and thoughtful approach to leadership have earned him respect not only among teammates but among sports fans and broader society. 'Growing up, I just wanted to play cricket,' he reflects. 'I never imagined my career could intersect with something so impactful. Being able to help save lives through this work is potentially humbling. It gives my journey even more purpose.' Legacy Beyond Records JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - JUNE 18: Temba Bavuma interacts with supporters during the South Africa ... More men's national cricket team arrival at OR Tambo International Airport on June 18, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. South Africa were crowned ICC World Test Champions after defeating Australia by five wickets in the final at Lord's In London on June 14th..(Photo by Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images via Getty Images) The Proteas' World Cup win under Bavuma's captaincy is already being celebrated as one of South African sport's greatest moments. Yet, for him, its meaning goes far beyond silverware. 'Moments like that remind me of the platform we have,' he says with calm certainty. 'We have the ability to bring attention to causes that matter.' When asked what message he would like to send to South Africans about stem cell donor registration, his response is simple but powerful: 'You could be the match someone is praying for. Registering takes just a moment, but it could give someone the rest of their life. We all have the power to help; it starts with stepping forward.' Throughout his journey, Bavuma has remained mindful of the wider impact of his leadership. His milestones: becoming the first Black African captain, leading the Proteas to an ICC trophy after decades of heartbreak, and advocating for health equity, all stem from a quiet conviction that leadership must mean more than titles. 'I'd like to be remembered as someone who stood for something greater than himself,' he reflects. 'Yes, as a cricketer, but also as a leader who used his voice and platform to uplift others. If my journey has opened doors or inspired action, then I've done what I was meant to do.' A Call to Action As South Africa celebrates a sporting hero, Bavuma's message is clear: victories on the field are fleeting without victories for humanity. His advocacy serves as a reminder that the real trophies are the lives changed, opportunities created, and systems transformed along the way. In a country where stories of hope are often met with scepticism, Bavuma's journey offers a powerful counter-narrative: that quiet, deliberate leadership can drive change; that representation matters not just for pride, but for the health and dignity of communities; and that the true measure of a champion is not only in records broken, but in lives touched. Bavuma's journey reminds us that leadership doesn't always have to be loud or flashy; it can be deliberate, intentional, and deeply impactful. Every single South African has the power to make a difference, whether through small actions or bold gestures, and together, those efforts can transform lives and communities.
New York Times
8 minutes ago
- New York Times
All Aboard a Steam Train to See ‘The Railway Children'
The steam train departed the station with a gentle chug, belching clouds of steam that streamed past the carriage windows. Gathering speed, the locomotive transported its passengers through a damp green valley, past gray stone buildings, rain-dripping oak trees, banks of ferns and hillsides dotted with sheep. For many visitors to the Keighley and Worth Valley heritage railway, the picturesque five-mile route through northern England from the town Keighley to Oxenhope village is the main attraction. But for the passengers on Tuesday, it was just the beginning. A theater adaptation of Edith Nesbit's classic children's book, 'The Railway Children,' awaited them when they stepped down from the train in Oxenhope. To take their seats, passengers headed into a large engine room shed next to the platform, where they sat on either side of a railway track. The scenes played out on a movable set that shunted up and down the tracks. And at certain key moments in the play, a second real steam train rolled in as part of the action. It was a fitting setting for a play set entirely around a small village station in the steam age. 'The Railway Children' follows three children — Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis — who must leave their comfortable London home for a simple cottage in the countryside after their father is imprisoned on suspicion of being spy. The children are cheerfully resilient in the face of sudden poverty and are soon welcomed into the rural community. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
