CLUB RESPONSE: Nottingham Forest has issued an official statement after shocking footage surfaced of a supporter breaking the minute’s silence for Diogo Jota.
⚽ The club condemned the act as “disrespectful and unacceptable,” confirming they are working with authorities to identify the individual. 📝 Fans online are split — some demanding a lifetime ban, others calling for education over punishment. The controversy has reignited debates about respect in football culture. 🕊️
A tribute to Diogo Jota was held before all Premier League matches over the weekend, including the one between Nottingham Forest and Brentford.
Nottingham Forest have issued a statement after footage of a fan interrupting a minute’s silence for Diogo Jota circulated online following their win over Brentford.
Premier League clubs had agreed to hold a minute’s silence before all matches in the first week, in honour of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who lost their lives in a traffic accident in northern Spain on July 3.
Former Liverpool and Wolves striker Jota has died aged 28, along with his 25-year-old brother. Players across the Premier League wore black armbands over the weekend, while all teams observed a minute’s silence in their memory.
But there was controversy at the City Ground after a fan appeared to break the planned silence before the Forest v Brentford match, which ended in a 3-1 victory for the home team.
In a video recorded by a Brentford fan in the away stand, a Forest fan can be heard shouting: “What about Terry Hennessey?”, referring to the club’s former player who passed away last week at the age of 82. The fan was immediately reprimanded by others in the stadium, while another attempted to start a chant for Hennessey, but he too was silenced by the crowd.
Fans on social media were quick to react to the video.
“You can’t blame Nottingham Forest, most of them clearly weren’t happy with this,” one fan wrote on TikTok.
“Some individuals do not represent the entire fan base.”
While another added: “As a Forest fan, I feel somewhat embarrassed.”
Nottingham Forest have now released a statement confirming that the club had initially considered holding a tribute for Hennessey at the same time as the silence for Jota and Silva, but decided against it.
“Nottingham Forest was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Terry Hennessey, a true legend of our football club, whose contributions will never be forgotten,” the club said in a statement released on Tuesday.
“We understand that many fans were surprised that there was no tribute to Terry before our last game against Brentford. On that occasion, all Premier League clubs agreed to honour the lives of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva following their tragic deaths. While we considered the possibility of honouring Terry at the same time, following internal discussions we felt that this would not show the full respect that Terry, or Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, deserve. We will therefore hold a tribute to Terry Hennessey before our home game against West Ham United on Sunday 31 August. We hope you will all join us in celebrating his life and legacy.”
Nottingham Forest will first face Crystal Palace away on Sunday, before hosting West Ham next weekend, when a tribute to Hennessey will also be held. /GazetaExpress/
