Chelsea's players have agreed to donate some of the prize money from their Club World Cup triumph to the family of Diogo Jota following his tragic death in a car crash
Players of Chelsea with their Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup winner trophies
Chelsea's players have agreed to make a donation(Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Chelsea will use their prize money from the Club World Cup to make a generous donation to the family of Diogo Jota. The Blues beat Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the competition on July 13 and have decided to put some of the money towards honouring Jota and Andre Silva.
Jota and his brother tragically died in a car crash in Spain in early July in an accident that plunged the football world into mourning. The Liverpool forward was 28 years old and had recently married his partner with whom he shares three children, while Silva was just 25 at the time of his death.
Chelsea’s triumph at the Club World Cup came amid the backdrop of tragedy, with winger Pedro Neto particularly affected, having played alongside Jota at Wolves and with Portugal. He dedicated their win over PSG to Jota and Chelsea have now made the incredible decision to donate money to the bereaved family.
The Athletic reports that the decision was made between the club and the players to donate some of their prize money to Jota’s family. Chelsea earned around £84million for winning the competition and a £11.4m fund has been distributed equally between the players who featured in the tournament, giving each player around £368,000.
The club and players have now decided that an equal payment will also be made to Jota’s family. Jota and Silva were laid to rest on July 5 in Gondomar, near Porto in Portugal, with many prominent figures from the football world attending the funeral.
Speaking before the final against PSG, Neto said: “It’s been really difficult in the last few days and I just want to leave a message that this final is for him and his brother. It’s a really tough time for me, difficult to speak about it and let’s hope I can do it for him.
“But I want to dedicate this final to him and his family and show my support in these difficult times for them.”
Diogo Jota of Liverpool celebrating after scoring the second goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield on September 25, 2024 in Liverpool, England.
Diogo Jota is being honoured by Liverpool this season
Liverpool have retired Jota’s No.20 shirt and announced that a permanent memorial sculpture would be created at Anfield. Arne Slot’s players will also have a “Forever 20” emblem on their shirts for the 2025/26 season.
The club have said that profits from shirts with "Diogo J 20" will go to the LFC Foundation, the club's charity. Liverpool record goalscorer Ian Rush, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish and Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt laid the wreaths in the Liverpool end at Wembley ahead of the Community Shield on Sunday.
Liverpool fans paid their respects to Jota with a rousing rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" before kick-off.
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