Chelsea will use a portion of Club World Cup bonuses paid to players to make a financial donation to the family of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva.
The west London club were crowned champions of FIFA’s newly-expanded tournament in July, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Their success in the tournament earned the club an estimated $114.6million (£84.4m).
Chelsea have subsequently allocated a $15.5m (£11.4m) fund to be distributed equally between the players who represented Enzo Maresca’s side during the tournament, with a decision made jointly between club and players that an equal payment will also be made to Jota’s family.
The overall value of each portion tallies more than $500k before it’s subjected to currency conversion costs from US dollars into UK pound sterling, alongside relevant employer costs, taxes and social security costs.
Liverpool forward Jota and his brother Andre Silva, a footballer at Portuguese club Penafiel, both died in a car accident in the Spanish province of Zamora on July 3, 10 days prior to Chelsea’s Club World Cup final victory.
Liverpool recently unveiled plans for a memorial sculpture at their Anfield stadium as the focal point for a permanent tribute to Jota, who scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the club.
The club’s players will wear a ‘Forever 20’ emblem on their shirts and stadium jackets for the duration of the 2025-26 season while the LFC Foundation, the club’s official charity, will launch a grassroots football programme in the Portugal international’s name.
A special fan mosaic and a minute’s silence is planned for Arne Slot’s side’s first game of the Premier League season against Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday.
Liverpool announced last month that they were permanently retiring the No. 20 shirt at all levels of the club in memory of Jota, who joined the club from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020.
