Premier League clubs to honour Diogo Jota and Andre Silva in opening weekend of 2025-26 season
A moment's silence will be observed in all Premier League games this weekend in memory of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva.
New Delhi: Premier League clubs will observe a moment of silence in memory of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva during the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season, which is set to begin on August 16.
The Premier League has spoken to Liverpool Football Club (LFC) about the most appropriate way to remember Jota, and the silence will be held in all matches this weekend. The players will also wear black armbands, while messages and images will be shown on the big screens in the stadium.
Former Liverpool and Wolves player Jota died in a car accident at the age of 28, along with his brother, in northern Spain last month. Liverpool and Crystal Palace also paid tribute to brothers during the Community Shield match at Wembley Stadium in London.
Wreaths were laid on the pitch, and a period of silence was observed before kickoff. A minority of Palace fans broke the silence, which led to a strong response from the other end of the field as well as from other Palace supporters who tried to silence those not respecting the tribute.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot talked about the incident and said that he doesn't think this was planned, and the fans of Palace were trying to calm that person or those persons down, so he doesn't think they had a bad intention, the guy or people who made noise.
"So I don't think there's a bad intention to it, because the fans of Crystal Palace and everywhere around the world have paid huge respect to Diogo and Andre and this was, I think, unlucky or, I can't find the right words, but I don't think there was a bad intention in it," Slot added.
Premier League opening weekend fixtures
Defending champions Liverpool FC are set to host AFC Bournemouth in the opening match on August 16 (12:30 AM IST), and Aston Villa will open their campaign against Newcastle United. After a disappointing season, Manchester City will face Wolves on August 16.
The Club World Cup champions Chelsea will start their campaign against Crystal Palace on August 17. A blockbuster Sunday clash between Manchester United and Arsenal is the pick of the matches on the opening weekend.