Ronaldo calls for lifetime ban for Saudi Pro League fans who aimed ‘Jota’ chants at Ruben Neves

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo said that fans who appeared to make chants referencing former teammate Diogo Jota at Ruben Neves during a Saudi Pro League match should be banned from football stadiums for life.

The chants occurred on Sept 12 during a fixture between Al-Taawoun and Neves’ side Al-Hilal in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia.

Liverpool forward Jota died on July 3, 2025, in a car crash in Zamora, north-western Spain, along with his brother Andre Silva. A close friend of Jota, Neves was a pallbearer at his funeral.

Footage filmed from the stands during the match and circulated on social media appeared to show supporters chanting “Jota”.

The shouts attracted the attention of Neves, who pointed to his eye and then up to the sky in response.

Passing through the mixed zone after the game, Neves commented: “I hope they don’t go to pray afterwards.”

In response to an Instagram post showing the footage, Ronaldo commented from his personal account on Sept 13.

“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” said Ronaldo.

“This is no longer football, and there have to be limits. People who behave like this should never be allowed to enter a stadium again.”

The game finished 6-0 to Al-Hilal, with Neves playing 75 minutes before being substituted.

Al-Hilal Club Company announced in a statement on its website on Sept 13 that it had filed a complaint with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation relating to the incident.

The Saudi Pro League club were “confident” that measures would be taken to “protect the integrity of sporting competition from offensive practices”.

“The company expressed its absolute rejection of such actions targeting players or their families, or intended to cause personal offence,” said Al-Hilal’s statement.

Later on Sept 13, Al-Taawoun also released a statement, which strongly condemned the offensive chants, which said: “Such conduct is completely unacceptable and does not represent Al-Taawoun, its supporters or the values for which its terraces are known.”

Al-Taawoun added that it would “take all necessary measures in coordination with the relevant authorities to prevent a recurrence and hold offenders accountable”.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Saudi Pro League (SPL) also condemned the supporters’ behaviour on Sept 13.

In a joint statement, SAFF and the SPL said the conduct of some fans during the match was “inconsistent with the values of Saudi football and the principles of sportsmanship”.

The governing bodies added that exploiting personal tragedies “for the purpose of abuse or provocation is unacceptable behaviour that has no place in Saudi football”.

SAFF said the relevant committees had identified the conduct in question and would take the necessary action in accordance with applicable regulations and procedures, with the outcome to be announced once the process is completed. REUTERS