Diogo Jota 040725
Diogo Jota 040725
A donation page said to have been set up to raise funds in memory of Diogo Jota appears to have been taken offline amid doubts about its association with the late Liverpool footballer's family and club.
Reds forward Jota died in a car crash along with his brother Andre Silva in Spain on 3 July. The deaths of the footballing brothers has prompted an outpouring of support across the football world who have united to mourn their passing and pay tribute to their legacy.
Liverpool FC said the donation page - diogojotafoundation.org - is not associated with the club or the player's family and the site has been taken down.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the 'Foundation' website appeared three days after the tragedy and said it has raised $64,250 (£47,715).
The site also reportedly used the logos of Unicef and Allianz and claimed it has distributed 25,000 meals, sponsored 300 children in school and built 50 local partnerships.
In addition to LFC confirming there's no apparent connection, UNICEF told ITV News it wasn't aware that its logo featured on the website.
A spokesman for UNICEF said: "We weren't working in partnership with them."
And Allianz sent a statement to ITV News saying: “We can confirm that we do have not a partnership, and our logo should not have been used on this website.
"We monitor illegal use of our brand and we are taking steps to get the website shut down by the suitable authorities.
"Misuse of branding is an ongoing issue in the digital world, and fraudsters will often try to add recognised brands to their fake websites to try and deceive the public.”
The Charity Commission confirmed the Foundation has not been in touch with them either.
Liverpool Football Club and its own Foundation has created its own tributes to the brothers.
A special commemorative T-shirt in memory of Diogo Jota has been launched by LFC Retail, with all profits going to the LFC Foundation to support a grassroots football programme in his name.
And Liverpool retired his number 20 shirtin a move they said was a recognition of his "immeasurable contribution" on the pitch and the "profound personal impact" he had on his teammates, colleagues and supporters.
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