‘Football has lost a Champion’ – Diogo Jota death latest | Friday’s newspapers 

‘Football has lost a Champion’ – Diogo Jota death latest | Friday’s newspapers 

Friday’s newspaper front pages are, of course, dominated by the tragic news that the Liverpool FC and Portugal forward, Diogo Jota, has died at the age of 28. Yesterday, Spanish police confirmed the footballer and his brother, Andre Silva, died in a car accident as they made their way to catch a ferry to England. Diogo Jota’s death has shocked the sports world, and tributes have been pouring in. The 28-year-old recently won the Premier League with Liverpool and the Nations League with Portugal. He had married his long-term partner just 11 days earlier.

Flowers and tributes are being laid outside Anfield. 

In other news, there is front-page coverage of the government’s recently announced 10-year plan for the NHS and Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she’s ‘getting on with the job’ after a tearful appearance at PMQs on Wednesday. It’s been a tough week for the government, which faced a humiliating welfare reform U-turn, which has some papers suggesting tax rises are coming. 

There are also reports that ex-Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana are about to start a new left-wing party. Though Corbyn has not yet confirmed his involvement. 

Another night of heavy attacks on Gaza has killed at least 90 people – some of those killed were waiting in line for aid. 

‘Football has lost a Champion’

The UK newspapers react to the death of Diogo Jota. 

• The Daily Mirror calls the death of Jota “Devastating” with a full front page dedicated to the loss. The front page reports there has been an “outpouring of grief” after the dad of 3 lost his life. 
• The Sun says, “Football has lost a champion”, quoting the Premier League’s official statement. The front page notes he died just after marrying his childhood sweetheart, as tributes pour in from the Kop. 
• The Daily Express says “stunned” Liverpool fans flocked to Anfield to pay tribute as Diogo and Andre’s bodies are preparing to make their way home to Portugal ahead of their Saturday funeral. 
• The Daily Star leads with Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, who signed Diogo, who is quoted on the front page. He described Jota as a “fantastic player, great friend and a loving husband and father”. 
• The Daily Mail calls him a modest, clever footballer who played with joy and elegance. 

‘Chancellor vows to keep working on’

Several papers cover the chancellor’s comments following her tearful PMQs appearance. Reeves addressed the emotional appearance during the unveiling of the government’s new 10-year NHS plan. 

• The Daily Mail leads on the government’s plans for people to be able to book, move and cancel appointments through the NHS app. “The doctor in your pocket will see you now,” the headline says. 
• The Times says everyone is being promised a unified health record. 
• The Guardian says the “dramatic expansion” in app technology will lead to fewer staff than had been expected by 2035.
• The Sun says there was an “awkward show of unity” at the event announcing the NHS plans, as the chancellor appeared alongside the PM.
• The FT says a day after her emotional appearance at PMQs, Reeves “appeared much more buoyant”. 
• The Times says her appearance as a “special guest” only “fuels suspicions that everything isn’t fine.” 
• The FT editorial looks ahead at Labour’s first anniversary in office, saying the disastrous few days have done great damage to the government and its political project. 
• The Mail claims the UK is feeling an overwhelming sense of buyer’s remorse. 
• The i says Labour has made some progress on economic stability and infrastructure, but big challenges lie ahead. 

A look at stories on the front pages of the UK newspapers

Bias Exposed from UK newspapers

There’s little bias in the coverage of the death of Diogo Jota, but there are some clear sensationalism tactics used to elicit emotion from its readers. The coverage of the latest from UK politics – Stamer’s NHS plans and the ongoing reactions to the chancellor’s emotional PMQs appearance continues to showcase the newspaper’s bias.

• The Daily Telegraph’s headline: “Corbyn’s hard-Left challenge to Starmer” – Corbyn has yet to confirm his involvement, and describing it as ‘hard left’ is designed to put fear into the Telegraph’s readership.
• FT headline: “Big asset managers piled in to gilts as markets dipped during Reeves crisis” – describing Wednesday’s tearful appearance as a “crisis” aims to scandalise and oversensationalise the event.