Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime bans for Al Taawoun fans that appeared to taunt Al Hilal’s Ruben Neves with chants about late Portugal star Diogo Jota.
Neves stood over a free kick during a game at Al Taawoun on Saturday, Sept 12. In footage shared across social media, some fans can be heard chanting "Jota! Jota! Jota!" toward Neves.
In response, Neves offers a sarcastic applause and thumbs up, then points to the sky and points at the fans to acknowledge what he heard.
Neves and Jota were close friends, playing together at Porto and Wolves as well as with the Portugal national team.
Jota died in July 2025 alongside his brother André Silva in a car accident in Spain. He was 28. Neves carried his coffin at the funeral.
After Saturday's game,
which Al Hilal won 6-0, Neves walked past reporters and said briefly: “I just hope [the fans] don’t go to pray later after what they did.”
Ronaldo, who was a teammate of both Neves and Jota for several years with Portugal, responded forcefully to a post on Instagram documenting the incident.
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behavior. 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," Ronaldo said.Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr, which he led to a Saudi Pro League title last season. The 41-year-old has hinted that he could be in his final season as a pro player.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cristiano Ronaldo demands lifetime bans for fans chanting Diogo Jota's name at Ruben Neves
