Created just three days following Jota’s untimely death, the Diogo Jota Foundation – via a website, diogojotafoundation.org – has been soliciting seeking donations. Before being taken down, the website had raised $64,250 (£47,715) by 21 August.
The donation page, which previously took users through to an off-site platform, only welcomed donations in the form of cryptocurrency – the website added that it “accepts USDT, ETH and other crypto through NOWPayments securely”.

It is, however, understood that Liverpool nor Jota’s family have any connection with the site. The Reds have informed The Telegraph that neither party has any knowledge about the foundation or its website, which has been accepting donations for over a month.

Just last month, Liverpool confirmed that the LFC foundation is “committed to creating a grassroots football programme in Diogo’s name”. The club also stated that all profits from shirts with ‘Diogo J. 20’ on the back would go to said foundation.

According to the report, despite using logos for Liverpool, Unicef, Allianz and Portuguese Platform of Development NGOS, at least three of those organisations have no affinity, and are not in active collaboration, with the foundation.

Allianz UK have posted a statement regarding the situation. “We can confirm that we do not have a partnership, and out logo should not have been used on this website. We monitor illegal use of our brand and we are taking steps to get the website shut down by the suitable authorities. Misuse of branding is an ongoing issue in the digital world, and fraudsters will often try and add recognised brands to their fake websites to try and deceive the public.”

Adding to that, NOWPayments CEO Kate Lifshits says that they have not processed any payments to the foundation. “We are aware that the NOWPayments payment system may have been used for fraudulent fundraising activities on behalf of a foundation that is not affiliated with the Diogo Jota family,” she said.

fshits continued: “I can confirm that no payments for this foundation have been processed through NOWPayments. As soon as we became aware of the alleged fraud, we stopped providing our services to the project immediately. Our widget is not active on the foundation’s website. We often encounter such practices and respond immediately, regardless of whether they involve public figures.”

The Charity Commission has also verified that the foundation – which has listed addresses in London, New York and Lisbon on its website – has not lodged a registration application. The website’s homepage described the foundation’s mission as:

“Honouring the Legacy of Diogo Jota. Through football, education, and hope, we carry forward the light he left behind – creating opportunity, joy, and lasting impact for the youth of Gondomar and beyond. The Diogo Jota Foundation was conceived in 2025 with one goal: to celebrate Diogo’s incredible journey from a small youth academy in Gondomar to one of Europe’s most respected footballers – and to pay that spirit forward.”