Diogo Jota car crash cause as witnesses dispute police statement
The Liverpool star and his brother Andre Silva were tragically killed in a car crash last month
Jota was tragically killed in a car crash on July 3
Liverpool and Crystal Palace will pay tribute to former Reds star Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva ahead of the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
The two siblings were killed in a car crash in the Spanish province of Zamora in the early hours of July 3, sending shockwaves through the football world. Jota - who won both the Premier League title with Liverpool and the Nations League with Portugal last season - was driving to the northern Spanish port city of Santander with his brother to catch a ferry to the UK for pre-season training when the tragic accident occurred.
The 28-year-old Liverpool forward had been advised not to travel by plane having recently undergone minor lung surgery while in Portugal. Tragically, his death came less than two weeks after he married his childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso, with who he had three children.
Tributes immediately poured in for Jota and Silva from across the football world, with the Reds honouring their player ahead of every pre-season game they have played this summer. Wreaths were laid on the pitch ahead of the league champions' clash with Athletic Bilbao on Monday, and they will be again ahead of the Community Shield, which is their first competitive game since the tragedy.
A period of silence will also be held ahead of kick-off at Wembley, while Jota's death will be marked again ahead of Liverpool's opening league game of the season against Bournemouth next weekend.
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the Spanish Civil Guard said that "everything is pointing to a tyre blowout as the car was overtaking," with Jota's £180,000 Lamborghini Huracan veering off the road and catching fire. In a later statement, the police force added that evidence suggested the car "significantly exceeded" the speed limit for the road (120kph/74mph) before crashing.
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'The expert report is still being worked on and finalised," the statement read. 'Among other things traffic police from the Zamora branch of the Civil Guard are studying the tread marked by one of the wheels of the vehicle. Everything is also pointing to a possible high excess of speed over the permitted speed on that stretch of the motorway.
'All the tests carried out for the moment point to the driver of the crash vehicle being Diogo Jota. The expert police report when it is finalised will be handed over to a court in Puebla de Sanabria.'
However, that police statement has been disputed by two eyewitnesses, with trucker Jose Azevedo inisisting that the vehicle being driven by Jota passed him 'super calmly' and 'without speeding" on the road.
Identifying himself as the author of footage that later emerged on the internet of the car in flames, Mr Azevedo defended his decision to speak out, adding that there was "absolutely nothing" he could do to save the two brothers.
'There's a video on the Internet, on TV, of Diogo Jota's car on fire at night,' he said. 'Supposedly it was a lorry driver who filmed it and didn't provide first aid. Well, that lorry driver was me. I filmed it and I have proof of it.'
'I stopped, grabbed the fire extinguisher and tried to help. Because of the impact of the accident - forget it - there was nothing I could do. Nothing, absolutely nothing! As for the family, my condolences, my sincere feelings. I have a clear conscience, I know what I saw. They passed me super calmly, without speeding, without speeding.'
Mr Azevedo continued: 'I didn't even know who was in the Lamborghini that day. I only found out the next day because, when I arrived at my destination, I shared the video with my wife, and in the morning I learnt that it was the brothers in the car.
'You have my word that they weren't speeding. They were going super-calmly. I drive this road every day, from Monday to Saturday, and I know what it's like.
'It's a dark road and I could see the make of the car, the colour of the car, everything. I filmed it, I stopped, I tried to help, but unfortunately there was nothing I could do. My conscience is clear.'
Mr Azevedo's claims have been backed by another trucker, named locally as Jose Aliexo Duarte, who told Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha that he had been overtaken by Jota's car "at a moderate speed" five minutes before the accident occurred.
Mr Duarte also slammed the road conditions on the A52 where the fatal crash occurred, saying it was in a 'bad state.'
Shortly after the tragic news emerged, Liverpool released a statement which read: "Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.
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"Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and André's family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support."
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