Wimbledon breaks 148-year rule after Liverpool star's death

Wimbledon officials have broken with a 148-year tradition following the death of Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother Andre da Silva.

Players will be allowed to break with the tradition of wearing only white on court to don black armbands in tribute to the 28-year-old who was killed in the early hours of Thursday morning (Spanish time).

Jota and his brother died when their car veered off a road in Northern Spain, reportedly because of a tyre blowout.

The Portuguese siblings had been travelling across northern Spain in his Lamborghini Huracan when the tragedy occurred shortly after midnight local time on Thursday.

Vision from the scene of the accident showed the devastating impact on the vehicle and the charred remnants left behind.

Portuguese tennis player Francisco Cabral was told of his compatriot's death as he arrived to play at Wimbledon on Thursday.

While he was unable to sport a black armband for his match he said he would have one ready for his next.

“I have seen the very sad news,” Cabral said. “The guy is a big name, not just in Portugal but in the world. He was a great human being with a nice family and three kids.

“My best wishes to them all. For his family, it is very tough to recover from that.

“I couldn’t get one (an armband) in time today, but I want to in the next one.”

HIS FINAL HOURS

More details of Jota’s__ final hours have come to light after his physio revealed the medical issues he was battling in the lead up to his tragic death.

Jota, who only weeks ago won the Premier League title with Liverpool and married his partner in late June, had been making his way back to the UK by road having reportedly been advised not to fly because of a collapsed lung.

It is not known who was driving.

Respiratory physiotherapist Miguel Goncalves revealed to the Portuguese sports outlet Record that he had been with the forward just hours before the accident and that the star was excited about the forthcoming season.

“I said goodbye to him and his brother, Andre, at around 8:30 p.m,” Goncalves said.

“His brother was a great companion and decided to go with him, to accompany him on the trip, and that way they would also spend more time together.

“They were going to travel at night because it was cooler, but they weren’t going direct.

“He told me that the journey would take about eight hours, but that they would stop at a hotel in the Burgos area to rest.

"Diogo was very aware of his professionalism. They were only supposed to arrive in Santander today, catch the boat and then go to England.

“Family would arrive later by plane, organise their lives over the weekend and then, on Monday, they had a medical appointment scheduled in Liverpool to assess the situation.”

Goncalves was adamant reports the duo had been partying were absolutely false.

“I’ve read some things on the internet that are regrettable, and I’ve even heard some in the media. To be clear, Diogo and Andre weren’t partying at all, they weren’t in the so-called "good mood" life, they had nothing that deserved any repair. Nothing.”

Shedding light on the medical issue Jota had been dealing with, Goncalves added: “The base of his right lung had collapsed a little, but with the post-surgery physiotherapy he was practically flawless.

“When I left him yesterday he was no longer in pain and was going to return to Liverpool.

“He was excited, confident in his recovery and enthusiastic about the next season. He told me that he would not go on the pre-season tour that Liverpool is going to Japan to strengthen his recovery, he believed he was going to have a great season.”

Jota’s funeral is set to take place on Saturday morning at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar, near his home city of Porto and where, just two weeks ago, he married his partner and mother to his three children, Rute Cardoso.

TRIBUTES AROUND THE WORLD

Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool's former manager and the man that signed Jota to Merseyside struggled to find the words to do his friend justice after the news broke.

"There must be a bigger purpose," he wrote. "But I can’t see it! This is a moment where I struggle!

“I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother André. Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father!

"We will miss you so much! All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them! Rest in peace – Love.”

Liverpool Football Club released a statement detailing its devastation shortly after the news broke.

The club is due to begin pre-season next week.

"Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota,” a statement said.

"The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.

"Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request 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.

"We will continue to provide them with our full support."

Tributes to Jota have been paid from all corners of the world with LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo and all 20 Premier League clubs offering their condolences.

Jota signed with Liverpool in 2020 for a transfer fee of $41 million and has since made 182 appearances for the Reds, scoring 65 goals.

During his time with Liverpool he won the Premier League (2025), The FA Cup (21-22) and a League Cup (21-22).