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Cristiano Ronaldo said \u200con Sunday 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 \u200bfor life.<\/p>\n
The chants occurred on Saturday during a fixture between Al-Taawoun and Neves\u2019 side Al-Hilal in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Jota died on July 3, 2025, in a car crash in Zamora, northwestern Spain, along with his brother Andre Silva. A close friend of Jota, Neves was a pallbearer at his funeral.<\/p>\n
Footage filmed from the stands during the match and circulated on social media appeared to show supporters chanting \u2018Jota\u2019.<\/p>\n
The shouts attracted the attention of Neves, who pointed \u200cto his eye \u200cand then up to the sky in response.<\/p>\n
Passing \u200bthrough \u200cthe \u2060mixed \u200bzone after \u2060the game, Neves commented, \u201cI hope they don\u2019t go to pray afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to an Instagram post showing the footage, Ronaldo commented from his personal account.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe league must take action and punish this kind of fan behavior,\u201d said Ronaldo.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is no longer football, and there have to be limits. People who behave like this should never be allowed to enter a stadium again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The game finished 6-0 to \u2060Al-Hilal, with Neves playing 75 minutes before being substituted.<\/p>\n
Al-Hilal \u200cClub Company announced in a statement on \u200cits website on Sunday that it had filed a \u200bcomplaint with the Saudi Arabian Football \u200cFederation relating to the incident. The Saudi Pro League club were \u201cconfident\u201d that \u200cmeasures would be taken to \u201cprotect the integrity of sporting competition from offensive practices.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Company expressed its absolute rejection of such actions targeting players or their families, or intended to cause personal offense,\u201d said Al-Hilal\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n
Later on Sunday, Al-Taawoun also released a statement, \u200cwhich strongly condemned the offensive chants.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch conduct is completely unacceptable and does not represent Al-Taawoun, its supporters or the \u2060values for which \u2060its terraces are known.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al-Taawoun added that it would \u201ctake all necessary measures in coordination with the relevant authorities to prevent a recurrence and hold offenders accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Saudi Pro League (SPL) also condemned the supporters\u2019 behavior on Sunday.<\/p>\n
In a joint statement, SAFF and the SPL said the conduct of some fans during the match was \u201cinconsistent with the values of Saudi football and the principles of sportsmanship.\u201d<\/p>\n
The governing bodies added that exploiting personal tragedies \u201cfor the purpose of abuse or provocation is unacceptable behavior that has no place in Saudi football.\u201d<\/p>\n
SAFF said the relevant committees had identified the conduct \u200bin question and would take the \u200bnecessary action in accordance with applicable regulations and procedures, with the outcome to be announced once the process is completed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n