LONDON (AP) — Nuno Borges had hoped to wear a Diogo Jota soccer jersey onto the court for his match at Wimbledon on Friday, but he settled for a black ribbon on his hat instead.
The All England Club has a strict all-white dress code for players while on court, but permission to wear the ribbon was granted after Jota and his brother were killed in a car crash in Spain.
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Nuno Borges of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in his hat in memory of compatriot Diogo Jota returns to Karen Khachanov of Russia during their men's singles match on day five of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday July 4, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Nuno Borges of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in his hat in memory of compatriot Diogo Jota, as he plays Karen Khachanov of Russia during their men's singles match on day five of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday July 4, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Francisco Cabral of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in memory of compatriot and soccer player Diogo Jota, on day five of the Wimbledon Championships in, London, Friday July 4, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Francisco Cabral of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in memory of compatriot and soccer player Diogo Jota, on day five of the Wimbledon Championships in, London, Friday July 4, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Family and friends of the Liverpool forward and his brother gathered at a chapel where their bodies were brought for a wake on Friday, a day after the fatal crash.
Borges, who at No. 37 is Portugal’s highest-ranked tennis player, told the PA news agency that his agent contacted Wimbledon about the idea of wearing Jota’s national team jersey as a tribute, but it wasn’t approved. Tournament officials did not immediately comment late Friday.
Borgest lost his third-round match to Karen Khachanov in five sets.
Francisco Cabral wore a black ribbon on his left sleeve during a doubles match.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Nuno Borges of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in his hat in memory of compatriot Diogo Jota returns to Karen Khachanov of Russia during their men's singles match on day five of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday July 4, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Nuno Borges of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in his hat in memory of compatriot Diogo Jota, as he plays Karen Khachanov of Russia during their men's singles match on day five of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday July 4, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Francisco Cabral of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in memory of compatriot and soccer player Diogo Jota, on day five of the Wimbledon Championships in, London, Friday July 4, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Francisco Cabral of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in memory of compatriot and soccer player Diogo Jota, on day five of the Wimbledon Championships in, London, Friday July 4, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen returned to court Tuesday to appeal an embezzlement conviction, with her 2027 presidential ambitions hanging on the outcome of the case.
Le Pen, 57, is seeking to overturn a March ruling that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. She was given a five-year ban from holding elected office, two years of house arrest with an electronic bracelet, a further two-year suspended sentence and a 100,000-euro ($116,800) fine.
“I hope I'll be able to convince the judges of my innocence,” Le Pen told reporters Monday. “It’s a new court with new judges. The case will be reset, so to speak.”
The appeals trial is scheduled to last for five weeks, with a verdict expected at a later date.
She was seen as the potential front-runner to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 election until last year's ruling, which sent shock waves through French politics. Le Pen denounced it as “a democratic scandal.”
Her National Rally party has been coming out on top in opinion polls, and Le Pen alleged that the judicial system brought out “the nuclear bomb” to prevent her from becoming France’s president.
The appeal trial, involving Le Pen and 11 other defendants, is scheduled to last for five weeks. A panel of three judges at the appeals court in Paris is expected to announce its verdict at a later date, possibly before summer.
Several scenarios are possible, from acquittal to another conviction that may or may not bar her from running in 2027. She could also face an even tougher punishment if convicted anew — up to 10 years in prison and a 1-million euro ($1.17 million) fine.
In March, Le Pen and other party officials were convicted of using money intended for EU parliamentary assistants who instead had other duties between 2004 and 2016, in violation of EU rules. Some actually did work for the party, known as the National Front at the time, in French domestic politics, the court said.
In handing down the sentence, the judge said Le Pen was at the heart of a “system” set up to siphon off EU parliament funds — including to pay for her bodyguard and her chief of staff.
All suspects denied wrongdoing, and Le Pen argued the money was used in a legitimate way. The judge said Le Pen and the others did not enrich themselves personally.
The legal proceedings initially stemmed from a 2015 alert raised by Martin Schulz, then-president of the European Parliament, to French authorities.
The case and its fallout weigh heavily on Le Pen’s political future after more than a decade spent trying to bring the far right into France’s political mainstream. Since taking over the party from her late father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011, she has sought to shed its reputation for racism and antisemitism, changing its name, expelling her father in 2015 and softening both the party’s platform and her own public image.
That strategy has paid dividends. The National Rally is now the largest single political group in France’s lower house of parliament and has built a broad network of elected officials across the country.
Le Pen stepped down as party president in 2021 to focus on the presidential race, handing the role to Jordan Bardella, now 30.
If she is ultimately prevented from running in 2027, Bardella is widely expected to be her successor. His popularity has surged, particularly among younger voters, though some within the party have questioned his leadership.
Le Pen's potential conviction would be “deeply worrying for (France's) democracy,” Bardella said Monday in a New Year address.
Far-right party National Rally president Jordan Bardella speaks during his New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrives at National Rally president Jordan Bardella's New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, center, is framed by Louis Aliot, left, and conservative lawmaker Eric Ciotti during National Rally president Jordan Bardella's New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
