Saudi Pro League club Al-Taawoun have been ordered to play their next two home league matches behind closed doors and fined 100,000 Saudi Riyals (£20,000) over offensive chants directed at Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves involving his late friend and former team-mate Diogo Jota
Al-Taawoun supporters repeatedly chanted “Jota” at Neves during their side’s 6-0 defeat by Al-Hilal on Saturday, prompting widespread condemnation from the Saudi football authorities, both clubs and Cristiano Ronaldo
Jota, a former Liverpool and Portugal forward, died alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain in July 2025, aged 28
Neves was a close friend and former team-mate of Jota at Wolverhampton Wanderers and with Portugal He was also a pallbearer at Jota’s funeral and wears Portugal’s No. 21 shirt in his memory.
Neves responded to the supporters during the match before telling reporters afterwards: “I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did”
Ronaldo, who played alongside both Jota and Neves for Portugal and currently plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr, called for the fans responsible to receive lifetime bans
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” Ronaldo said on social media
“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 incident occurred during Al-Taawoun’s 6-0 defeat to Al-Hilal, with Neves playing 75 minutes before being substituted
Al-Hilal subsequently filed a formal complaint with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), calling for action against the supporters involved
“The company expressed its absolute rejection of such actions targeting players or their families, or intended to cause personal offence,” Al-Hilal said in a statement
Al-Taawoun also condemned the behaviour and said it did not represent the club or its supporters
“Such conduct is completely unacceptable and does not represent Al-Taawoun, its supporters or the values for which its terraces are known,” the club said
Al-Taawoun added that it would take the necessary measures in coordination with the relevant authorities to prevent a recurrence and hold those responsible accountable
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Saudi Pro League also condemned the chants, saying the conduct was inconsistent with the values of Saudi football and the principles of sportsmanship
They said exploiting personal tragedies for abuse or provocation was unacceptable and had no place in Saudi football
The authorities said relevant committees had identified the conduct in question and were investigating the incident, with action to follow under the applicable regulations
Jota scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool after joining the club from Wolves in 2020 He also scored 14 goals in 49 appearances for Portugal.
Neves has continued to honour his late friend since his death, including through his Portugal shirt number (21) and a tattoo on his leg showing the pair embracing