Fans launch fundraiser for banner tribute to Jota

A fundraising campaign is under way for a tribute to former Wolverhampton Wanderer's footballer Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash earlier this month.

Club supporters' group the Old Gold Pack are trying to raise funds to create a huge banner to be displayed at the club's opening Premier League game with Manchester City.

The Portuguese striker, who died alongside his brother in Spain on 3 July, had three seasons at Molineux and was adored by the fans.

Kieran Newey, a founder of the fan group, said: "We really wanted to do something big to honour what Diogo really meant to us... and really show what Molineux thought of Diogo."

The group has been unfurling large banners for matches for the last three seasons and have previously made one "the length of the Steve Bull stand" after raising £7,500, he said.

"We ended up raising nearly £25,000 so lots of money went to different charities," he said.

Mr Newey said the group had about three options of banner size, depending on how much money was raised.

If they do reach £10,000, they plan to use one that can be brought from the bottom of the stand to the top and is about 25m wide and 23m high.

He said he hoped people could donate but accepted "times were hard". The total money raised stood at just over £3,000 on Friday morning, he added.

The football club has already said the former player will be remembered for his time at the club at the first home game of the new Premiership season, against City.

Mr Newey said the group worked "really closely with the club and they're 100% on board".

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