Cristiano Ronaldo's sister has mounted a passionate defence of the footballer after he faced intense criticism for not attending the funeral of his Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota.
Katia Aveiro took to Instagram to support her brother's decision to stay away from Saturday's service in Gondomar, where mourners gathered to pay their respects to Jota and his brother Andre Silva.
The pair died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday morning.
Ronaldo's absence from the funeral sparked backlash in Portugal, with some commentators calling it "inexplicable" and supporters labelling the national team captain's decision "inadmissible" for not interrupting his holiday to attend.
Cristiano Ronaldo's sister has mounted a passionate defence of the footballer after he faced intense criticism for not attending the funeral of his Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota
GETTY/PA
The funeral saw attendance from several Portugal internationals, including Bernardo Silva, Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves.
Ronaldo, who was reportedly holidaying in Majorca, chose not to attend after telling Jota's wife Rute Cardoso and parents that his presence might transform the service into a media spectacle.
His sister responded with multiple Instagram posts, describing her brother's choice as "wise" and condemning those who "criticise for nothing".
Mourners attended the funeral of Diogo Jota on Saturday
PA"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"' she wrote.
"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 Filipe Scolari, etc. I don't remember seeing any of them. And they certainly greeted me. The pain blinded me.
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Aveiro added: "About pain/family and real support... You will never know what it means until you go through it. 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."
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Ronaldo had previously posted an emotional tribute on Instagram after learning of the deaths, writing: "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."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo Jota won the Nations League twice with Portugal while playing togetherGETTYThe Portugal captain has not publicly addressed his absence from the funeral, though he informed the family of his decision and offered to provide support.
Jota's brother, Andre Silva, was also tragically killed in the crash.
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