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Cristiano Ronaldo's sister speaks her mind over brother's absence at Diogo Jota's funeral

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Cristiano Ronaldo's sister has fiercely defended her brother against the backlash he received for not attending Diogo Jota's funeral. Jota and his brother, Andre, tragically lost their lives in a car crash on Thursday, with their funeral taking place on Saturday.

While several of Jota's colleagues were present at the ceremony in Gondomar, close to Porto, Portugal captain Ronaldo chose not to attend due to concerns that his attendance might divert attention away from the solemn occasion. Ronaldo faced some disapproval from football fans for his absence, prompting his sister Katia Aveiro to take to Instagram with a series of vehement responses.

On her Instagram story, she wrote: "When my father died. In addition to the pain of loss we had to deal with a flood of cameras and curious onlookers at the cemetery and everywhere we went.

"And attention was not what it is today in terms of access... at no time were we (the children) able to leave the chapel; it was only possible at the time of the burial, such was the commotion. At the funeral, there were presidents, coaches of the national team at the time, such as Luis Felipe Scolari, etc.

"I don't remember seeing any of them. And they certainly greeted me. The pain blinded me. About pain/family and real support... you will never know what it means until you go through it.

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"If someone sends me a message criticising anything my brother does, I will block it (completely ignore it), that is, they will only do it once. It's getting tiring. The fanaticism. The criticism for nothing, I repeat nothing... sick society... we all have families.

"It is absurdly shameful to watch TV channels/commentators/social networks emphasising an absence (wise) rather than respectfully honouring the pain of a mutilated family destroyed by the loss of two brothers. I am even ashamed to watch. Regrettable.

"And so the world goes... society and opinion. Today they are worthless. They themselves have become bottomless pits. I feel sorry... and war is also like that. Believe me. Human evil is also a war. And every day we have to fight against it. And so it goes."

Ronaldo did share a heartfelt tribute to Jota on social media on Thursday. He wrote: "It doesn't make sense. We were just together in the national team, and you had just gotten married.

"To your family, your wife and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you."

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