Portugal and Al Nassr player Cristiano Ronaldo has asked for lifetime stadium bans for fans who chanted the name of late Diogo Jota at his teammate Ruben Neves during a Saudi Pro League match.
Supporters seemed to target Neves during Al-Hilal’s 6-0 win over Al-Taawoun on Saturday, repeatedly shouting “Jota” at the midfielder.
Jota, who used to play for Liverpool and Portugal, died in a car crash in Spain last July at just 28 years old.
His death hit Neves hard, as they played together at Wolverhampton Wanderers and for Portugal.
Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Nassr, spoke out against the fans' actions in a social media post on Sunday.
Ronaldo said,
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour. 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.”
Neves, now wearing the No. 21 shirt for Portugal in memory of Jota, looked upset with the chants.
Video showed him clapping sarcastically at some fans before pointing to the sky.
After the match, Neves spoke about the incident, saying: “I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did.”
Jota died with his brother, Andre Silva, in the crash in the Spanish province of Zamora.
The forward made 182 appearances for Liverpool after joining from Wolves in 2020, scoring 65 goals. He also earned 49 caps for Portugal and scored 14 international goals.
Ronaldo played with both Jota and Neves for Portugal, making the event hit close to home for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Now, the Saudi football authorities are under pressure to take action against the fans involved.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇