Olaleye Idowu
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro has suggested why her brother didn’t attend late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota’s funeral at the weekend.
Recall that Ronaldo was a notable absentee during Jota’s funeral at the Igreja Matriz church in Gondomar on Saturday.
Many football fans expected the Portugal captain to attend in honour of Jota’s memory, but his absence has led to widespread criticism and outrage in his native country, Portugal.
However, Aveiro has now suggested that Ronaldo didn’t attend Jota’s funeral to avoid causing a media frenzy, which could end up affecting the ceremony.
She also criticized her brother’s critics for focusing on his absence rather than the sad loss of Jota and his brother, Andre.
In her Instagram story, Aveiro also gave a scenario of when she and Ronaldo lost their father back in 2005.
“When my father died. In addition to the pain of loss we had to deal with a flood of cameras and curious onlookers at the cemetery and everywhere we went.
“And attention wasn’t what it is today in terms of access… At no time were we [Aveiro and her siblings] able to leave the chapel, it was only possible at the time of the burial, such was the commotion,” Aveiro posted on Instagram (via Daily Mirror).
“At the funeral, there were presidents, and coaches of the national team at the time, such as Luís Filipe Scolari, etc. I don’t remember seeing any of them. And they certainly greeted me. The pain blinded me.
“About pain/family and real support… You will never know what it means until you go through it. If someone sends me a message criticising anything my brother does, I’ll block it, that’s, they’ll only do it once. It’s getting tiring. The fanaticism.
“It’s absurdly shameful to watch TV channels/commentators/social networks emphasising an absence rather than respectfully honouring the pain of a mutilated family destroyed by the loss of two brothers. I’m even ashamed to watch it. Regrettable.”
