Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, has defended her brother’s absence from the funeral of late Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, held on Saturday in Gondomar.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister, Katia Aveiro, has defended her brother’s absence from the funeral of late Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, held on Saturday in Gondomar. Ronaldo faced criticism in Portugal for not attending, but Aveiro explained he chose to stay away to avoid creating a media spectacle. “When my father died… we had to deal with a flood of cameras and curious onlookers,” Aveiro wrote on Instagram, recalling their father’s 2005 funeral. She noted the overwhelming attention at the time made mourning difficult and believes Ronaldo’s presence at Jota’s funeral could have disrupted the ceremony. “At no time were we able to leave the chapel… such was the commotion,” she said. Aveiro also condemned critics for focusing on Ronaldo’s absence instead of mourning the tragic deaths of Jota and his brother. “It’s absurdly shameful… I’m even ashamed to watch. Regrettable,” she added, calling the media’s response fanatical and disrespectful.