Archive July 3, 2025

‘It doesn’t make sense’ – Ronaldo & Liverpool lead tributes to Jota

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Liverpool say they are “devastated” by the “unimaginable loss” of forward Diogo Jota, who has died in a car crash aged 28.

The Portugal international and his brother Andre Silva, 25, were killed after their car left the road because of a tyre blowout in the Spanish province of Zamora.

Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children, just last month.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who played alongside Jota, wrote on social media: “It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the national team, you had just got married.”

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo sent his condolences to Jota’s family, wife and children, and added: “I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo e André. We will miss you.”

Liverpool said in their statement they were “devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota”.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo JotaGetty Images

Jota, who joined Liverpool in 2020 from Wolves, won the Premier League last season and was also part of the team that won the FA Cup and League Cup in 2021-22.

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said he was “much more than an amazing player”.

“Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all team-mates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself,” the FPF said.

“We have lost two champions. The passing of Diogo and Andre Silva represents irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything to honour their legacy daily.”

Uefa – European football’s governing body – announced a moment of silence would be observed at all Women’s European Championship games on Thursday and Friday, including Portugal’s tie against Spain.

Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said: “The news of the death of Diogo Jota, an athlete who greatly honoured Portugal’s name, and his brother is unexpected and tragic.”

‘I will always remember you with your smile’

 Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez of Liverpool pose for a photograph with the Premier League trophyGetty Images

Jota’s Liverpool team-mate Darwin Nunez said there were “no words of comfort for so much pain”.

“I will always remember you with your smile, as a good companion on and off the field,” he said.

“I send all my strength to his family, from where he is I’m sure he will always be with you, especially his wife and three children.”

Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher said he was “in a state of shock”.

“I can only imagine how his team-mates feel at Liverpool and Portugal, they must be in a world of pain with his friends and family,” Carragher told Sky Sports.

“It just shows us all how quickly life can change. What a summer he’s had, and you get this devastating news that his family have had in the last few hours. You can’t even comprehend it.”

Former Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard posted on Instagram: “RIP Diogo. Condolences to his family and friends during this incredibly sad time.”

Premier League clubs pay tribute

Liverpool fans have been leaving tributes to Diogo Jota outside Anfield stadiumBBC Sport

The Premier League said football had “lost a champion who will be forever missed”, adding it would “continue to support our friends and colleagues at the club”.

Wolves, where Jota spent three seasons, said they were “heartbroken” and their former player would be “truly missed, and always remembered”.

“Diogo was adored by our fans, loved by his team-mates and cherished by everyone who worked with him during his time at Wolves,” they said.

“The memories he created will never be forgotten.”

Manchester United said their “deepest condolences are with the loved ones of Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre, and everyone connected with Liverpool” while Everton said they were “deeply saddened by the tragic passing”.

Jota began his professional career with Pacos de Ferreira, joined Atletico Madrid in 2016, and spent the 2016-17 season on loan with Porto, where his brother was also a youth player.

Porto said in a statement they were “in mourning”.

Club president Andre Villas-Boas added: “This is a moment of profound dismay for the entire Porto fanbase and for all Portuguese people.

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Yarde to face world champion Benavidez in November

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British light-heavyweight Anthony Yarde will challenge unbeaten WBC world champion David Benavidez in Saudi Arabia this November.

London-born Yarde, 33, will be making his third attempt to win a world title, having fallen short against Sergey Kovalev in 2019 and Artur Beterbiev in 2023.

Benavidez, known as ‘The Mexican Monster’, boasts an unblemished record of 30 wins, including 24 by knockout.

The American fighter of Mexican heritage is a former two-time WBC super-middleweight world champion.

He has long been linked with a bout against Mexican star Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez, with some purists saying the pound-for-pound star has steered clear of a showdown with Benavidez.

Yarde heads into the fight on the back of a trilogy victory over Lyndon Arthur in April, having lost their first bout in 2020 before winning the rematch a year later.

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Mayer to announce he is running for FIA presidency

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British Grand Prix

Dates: 4 to 6 July Race start time: 15:00 BST on Sunday

Leading official Tim Mayer has announced that he is running for president of the FIA in the December election.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who fired Mayer as steward in November, will challenge the 59-year-old American.

On Friday morning, Mayer will hold a press conference to announce his candidacy near Silverstone, the site of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

When BBC Sport inquired about him, he was unavailable.

Before being allowed to stand, candidates must have a full team of officials in order to fill various positions in their prospective administration, according to FIA presidential campaign rules.

The FIA nominations committee, which is in charge of the FIA president, will also be looking into Mayer’s standing.

Mayer, who is the son of Teddy Mayer, who was the former McLaren team principal, has held leading positions in the US and has steered the FIA’s championships, including Formula 1, for 15 years.

After representing the Circuit of the Americas at a “right of review” hearing on a fine levied on the track following a crowd invasion at the US Grand Prix in the end of last year, he was fired by Ben Sulayem last year.

Ben Sulayem claimed in a statement to BBC Sport last year that the right-of-review hearing had been an “interpersonal attack on him” by Mayer.

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Diogo Jota: Reactions to death of Liverpool and Portugal star

Diogo Jota, a Liverpool forward, died in a car crash in Spain, according to a police report.

According to reports from Portugal’s public broadcaster, TVE, Jota, 28, and his brother, also a football player, were driving the car when it veered off the road.

Jota and his long-term partner Rute Cardoso wed in Porto, Portugal, just two weeks after the tragic incident.

His death was reflected in the following quotes and reactions:

Football League of Liverpool

“Football League of Liverpool are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota.

The club has been informed that Andre and his brother, André, also died in a road traffic accident in Spain, which the 28-year-old has been told has passed away.

As they deal with an unimaginable loss, Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and ask that Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates, and club staff be kept safe.

We will continue to support them without end. ”

Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro

It is tragic and unexpected to learn about Diogo Jota’s passing, an athlete who had a strong respect for Portugal’s name, and his brother. Their family is in need of my heart. Football and all other national and international sports experience sad days. ”

Portuguese Football Federation

The deaths of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva in Spain this morning have devastated the Portuguese Football Federation and the entire Portuguese football community.

“Diogo Jota was a fantastic player with almost 50 caps for the nation,” Jota said. He was also an extraordinary person who earned respect from both his teammates and opponents. We lost two champions, but he had a contagious joy and established a reference point in his own community. We will do everything in our power to honor their legacy every day because their deaths have been irreparable losses for Portuguese football. ”

Former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher

Diogo Jota &; is receiving false information. This morning, his brother Andre. Everyone in their family is in the same boat; thoughts are shared. friends, particularly his wife Rute &;;;;;;;; their three adorable children. ”

Portugal’s Ruben Neves and Al Hilal’s midfielder

They assert that we forget people, and that’s true. FC Porto is mourning, and I’ll never forget you.

We extend our sincere condolences to Diogo Jota’s family and friends, both of whom were our athletes in the youth ranks, with shock and deep regret. In peace, please. ”

CP-Sporting

Thailand appoints another acting prime minister amid political turmoil

Following the suspension of the country’s leader, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, which was fueled by a phone call scandal with a prominent Cambodian political figure, Thailand has announced the appointment of its second interim prime minister this week.

A government statement on Thursday confirmed that Interior Minister Phumtham Wechayachai took over the duties on Thursday after Paetongtarn was suspended from his duties.

The Thai government stated in a post on social media that King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s swearing-in of ministers had been made official at the first meeting of a new cabinet.

Suriya Jungrungreangkit, 71, takes her place after a day’s delay in the reshuffle.

Following Paetongtarn’s temporary suspension from office earlier this week over allegations she had cheated out of ministerial ethics in a phone conversation with Cambodia’s infamous former leader Hun Sen.

Following an escalation of violence that resulted in the death of a&nbsp. Cambodian soldier, the call was made in the middle of June in an effort to calm the conflict between the two nations.

In response to Paetongtarn’s choice to refer to Hun Sen as “Uncle” and to a Thai army commander, critics in Thailand expressed anger.

After a cabinet meeting in Bangkok on July 3, 2025, Thailand’s suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra leaves Government House.

36 senators filed a petition claiming that Hun Sen and the 38-year-old had allegedly violated the Constitution in their conversation.

According to the statement, “sufficient cause to suspect” Paetongtarn had violated ministerial ethics, and an investigation is currently being conducted into the incident.

In the new cabinet, Paetongtarn appointed herself as culture minister before her suspension was instituted. On Thursday, she sworn in at the Grand Palace.

A late June opinion poll showed that Paetongtarn’s government had struggled to revive a sluggish economy, with a figure of 9.2 percent falling from 30.9 percent in March.

A separate court hears a royal defamation lawsuit against her father, former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, on two fronts.

Thaksin has repeatedly pledged allegiance to the crown while denying the accusations levelled against him.

Hindu pilgrimage begins in Kashmir in wake of India-Pakistan conflict

Hindus have embarked on a monthlong pilgrimage in Muslim-majority Indian-administered Kashmir, with many of the faithful on Thursday starting from near the site where a deadly attack in April triggered a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan, which propelled the region to the cusp of their fifth all-out war.

Last year, half a million devotees took part in the Amarnath pilgrimage to a sacred ice pillar, located in a cave in the forested Himalayan hills above the town of Pahalgam, where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists.

New Delhi said the gunmen were backed by Pakistan, claims Islamabad vehemently rejected, setting off a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that then erupted into a four-day conflict on May 7.

It was the worst standoff by the nuclear-armed nations since 1999, with more than 70 people killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides, before a ceasefire was declared on May 10.

“Pilgrims I spoke to earlier said they were worried about the security at first, but now feel safe after seeing the strong security arrangements,” said Al Jazeera’s Umar Mehraj, reporting from Pahalgam.

“The April attack has made this year’s pilgrimage more cautious and technology-based, with the highest level of security ever, with around 600 additional paramilitary units having been deployed, making it the most heavily guarded pilgrimage so far,” he added.

Pilgrim Muneshwar Das Shashtri, who travelled from Uttar Pradesh state, told the AFP news agency that “there is no fear of any kind.

“Our army is standing guard everywhere. No one can raise a finger towards us,” he said.

India has ramped up security for the event, deploying 45,000 soldiers with high-tech surveillance tools to oversee the gruelling trek to the high-altitude cave, dedicated to the Hindu deity of destruction, Shiva.

“We have multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements so that we can make the pilgrimage safe and smooth for the devotees,” said VK Birdi, police chief for the territory.

Surveillance systems like security cameras and facial recognition have been set up, as well as checkpoints, added Mehraj, with paramilitary posts every 100 metres (330ft).

‘Public confidence is returning’

All pilgrims must be registered and travel in guarded vehicle convoys until they start on the walk.

Camouflaged bunkers have been erected in the forests along the route, where dozens of makeshift kitchens provide free food, and electronic radio cards pinpoint their location.

Pilgrims can take several days to reach the cave, perched at 3,900 metres (12,800ft) high, about 30km (20 miles) uphill from the last easily motorable track.

“Whatever the attack that was carried out here, I am not afraid. I have come to get a glimpse of baba (the ice formation),” said Ujwal Yadav, 29, from India’s Uttar Pradesh state, undertaking his first pilgrimage to the shrine.

“Such are the security arrangements here that no one can be hurt.”

Manoj Sinha, the Indian-appointed top administrator for Jammu and Kashmir, said “public confidence is returning”, but admits that pilgrim registration had dipped by 10 percent this year.

Once a modest, little-known ritual attended by only a few thousand mainly local devotees, the pilgrimage has grown since an armed rebellion erupted in 1989.

India’s government has since heavily promoted the annual event, which runs until August 9.

Rebels fighting against India’s military presence in Kashmir have said the pilgrimage is not a target, but have warned they would act if it is used to assert Hindu dominance.

The gunmen who carried out the April 22 killings remain at large, despite the manhunt by security forces in Kashmir, where India has half a million soldiers permanently deployed.

On June 22, India’s National Investigation Agency said two men had been arrested from the Pahalgam area, who they said had “provided food, shelter and logistical support” to the gunmen.

Indian police have issued wanted notices for three of the gunmen, two of whom they said were Pakistani citizens.

In 2017, suspected rebels attacked a pilgrim bus, killing 11 people.