Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has called for supporters to be permanently banned from stadiums after Ruben Neves was targeted with chants about their late international teammate Diogo Jota.
According to The PUNCH, the incident occurred during Al-Hilal’s 6-0 Saudi Pro League victory over Al-Taawoun on Saturday, when sections of the crowd repeatedly shouted Jota’s name at Neves.
Jota died alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain last July at the age of 28.
His death was particularly painful for Neves, who shared the pitch with Jota at Wolverhampton Wanderers and with the Portugal national team.
Ronaldo condemns supporters
Ronaldo responded to the incident on social media and called on Saudi football authorities to take strong disciplinary action.
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” Ronaldo wrote.
“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 five-time Ballon d’Or winner currently plays for Al-Nassr, one of Al-Hilal’s major Saudi Pro League rivals.
Neves reacts to chants
Neves appeared visibly angered by the chanting during the match.
Footage from the game showed the midfielder sarcastically applauding the supporters involved before pointing towards the sky.
After the match, he also criticised their behaviour.
“I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did,” Neves said.
Neves now wears Portugal’s No. 21 shirt in tribute to Jota.
Jota remembered by teammates
Jota joined Liverpool from Wolves in 2020 and went on to make 182 appearances for the English club, scoring 65 goals.
He also earned 49 caps for Portugal and scored 14 international goals.
Ronaldo played alongside both Jota and Neves for the national team, making the chants especially sensitive for the Portugal captain.
The incident has now placed Saudi football authorities under pressure to determine whether disciplinary action will be taken against the supporters involved.
