Saudi Pro League side Al Taawoun punished for ‘Jota’ chants

Fans of Al Taawoun chanted the name of Ruben Neves’ close friend Diogo Jota during a SPL match, which resulted in widespread condemnation. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Disciplinary and Ethics Committee ​on Tuesday ordered Al Taawoun to play ‌its next two home Saudi ​Pro League matches behind closed ⁠doors and fined the club 100,000 riyals ($26,660) after supporters chanted the name of ‌the late Portugal forward Diogo Jota during Saturday’s match against ‌Al Hilal.

The sanctions stem ‌from ⁠an incident involving Al Hilal ⁠midfielder Ruben Neves, a close friend and former teammate of Jota, who died in ​a car crash ‌in Spain last year alongside his brother Andre Silva. Neves was among the pallbearers at Jota’s funeral.

Videos circulated on social media ​appeared to show sections of the crowd chanting “Jota” during Al ⁠Hilal’s 6-0 win over Al Taawoun. Neves reacted by pointing to his ‌eye and then toward the sky before saying after the match: “I hope they don’t go to pray afterwards.”

The chants sparked widespread criticism, including from Al Nassr captain ‌Cristiano Ronaldo, who urged authorities to take ​strong action.

Al Hilal said it had filed a complaint ⁠with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, describing ⁠the chants as offensive and unacceptable, while Al Taawoun condemned ‌the behaviour and said it did not represent the club or ​its supporters.