Premier League clubs will hold a moment of silence across all match venues this weekend in memory of Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, Afrosport reports.
The Former Liverpool and Portugal forward, along with his brother, died in a tragic car accident in northern Spain last month.
The Premier League confirmed that messages and images will be displayed on big screens during the opening weekend, with players also set to wear black armbands.
Tributes have poured in from across the football world, including during Liverpool’s Community Shield clash with Crystal Palace on Sunday. Before kick-off at Wembley, Reds’ legend and record goalscorer Ian Rush, Palace chairman Steve Parish and Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt laid wreaths at the Liverpool end, while fans joined in a moving rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
The minute’s silence, meanwhile, was briefly interrupted when Liverpool fans booed a section of Palace supporters for failing to observe the tribute. However, manager Arne Slot downplayed the incident, saying he believed it was without malice.
Slot said: “I don’t think this was planned, or that this was the idea of the fan that made some noise. Maybe he wasn’t aware of the fact that it was the minute of silence.
“He was just still happy and tried to cheer for his team. And I think then the fans of Palace were trying to calm that person or those persons down, so I don’t think he had a bad intention, the guy or people that made noise.
“They tried to calm him down, but that was a bit noisy as well. And then our fans reacted, ‘hey, what’s happening here?’.
“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.”
Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers will also hold their own tributes during their Premier League openers against Bournemouth and Manchester City, respectively.
