Katia Aveiro has spoken out in defense of her brother, Cristiano Ronaldo, following public criticism over his absence from the funeral of Portugal teammate Diogo Jota.

It's been a week of mourning in the football world, and back in Portugal, with the sad passing of Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, in a

Cristiano Ronaldo’s surprising decision to skip teammate Diogo Jota’s funeral was made out of respect for the grieving family, his sister claimed. One of the biggest soccer stars in the world was noticeably absent as Jota — the Portugal star who was killed alongside his brother Andre Silva on Thursday in a car crash — was laid to rest.