Jota escapes unusual incident during Celtic match

Jota, the Portuguese winger at Celtic, escaped an unusual incident during his team’s match against Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership: a thread attached to an opposing supporter’s flag became wrapped around his neck. He quickly freed himself without suffering a further injury, though he appeared surprised and bewildered by what had happened.

The appearance was especially significant for Jota. He came on in the 74th minute for Sebastian Tounekti, making his first appearance since an absence that began in May 2025. A knee injury had required ligament surgery and kept him out for the whole 2025-2026 season.

This is Jota’s second spell at Celtic. Having returned to Celtic Park last year, he has scored 33 goals and provided 28 assists in 100 matches for the club across his two spells.

A former Al-Ittihad Arabie player, Jota had undergone knee ligament surgery that kept him out for the whole of last season before he returned to the Scottish team for this first appearance after a lengthy absence. Separately, a former Al-Ittihad Arabie player escaped an unusual accident in the Scottish league.