Real Madrid has issued a public apology following an error made during a tribute to Portuguese footballer Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, who tragically passed away in a car accident in July. The mistake occurred during the Ordinary General Assembly of Representative Members held on Sunday.
The club intended to honor the brothers with a video presentation. However, instead of showing an image of Diogo Jota's brother, Andre Silva, the video mistakenly featured Elche CF player, Andre da Silva. The error was quickly identified, prompting Real Madrid to take immediate action.
Real Madrid swiftly issued an apology to Elche CF and Andre da Silva via their official X account, expressing regret for the incident. The statement read: "Real Madrid C.F. apologizes to Elche C.F. and its player André da Silva for having mistakenly included his image in the obituary of an institutional video instead of that of André Silva, the brother of Diogo Jota, the Liverpool player. We regret this incident".
Club President Florentino Perez reiterated the apology during his address to the club's members. The error is particularly sensitive given the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother. The 28-year-old striker and his brother died in a car crash in July. Their passing prompted tributes from across the footballing world. Liverpool fans, for example, have been chanting Jota's name during the 20th minute of games.
Earlier this month, Real Madrid paid tribute to both Jota and Silva at Anfield before their Champions League match against Liverpool. A delegation including former Liverpool players Xabi Alonso, now Real Madrid's head coach, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, visited the stadium to pay their respects. They laid floral tributes and messages at the area of remembrance for the brothers. Alexander-Arnold's message read: "My mate Diogo. You are so missed but still so loved. Yours and Andre's memory will always live on. I smile every time I think about you and will always remember the great times we shared. Miss you mate, every day". Emilio Butragueno and Dean Huijsen also represented Real Madrid.
The mistaken image of Andre da Silva, who currently plays for Elche, added an unfortunate layer to the situation. Real Madrid is scheduled to face Elche in La Liga on Sunday at the Martinez Valero, where Silva is expected to play.
