Saudi club hit with stadium ban, fine over Jota chants

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By Adegboyega Adeleye

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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.

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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.

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Jota, a former Liverpool and Portugal forward, died alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain in July 2025, aged 28.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” Ronaldo said on social media.

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“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.”

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The incident occurred during Al-Taawoun’s 6-0 defeat to Al-Hilal, with Neves playing 75 minutes before being substituted.

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Al-Hilal subsequently filed a formal complaint with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), calling for action against the supporters involved.

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“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.

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Al-Taawoun also condemned the behaviour and said it did not represent the club or its supporters.

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“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.

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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.

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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.

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They said exploiting personal tragedies for abuse or provocation was unacceptable and had no place in Saudi football.

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The authorities said relevant committees had identified the conduct in question and were investigating the incident, with action to follow under the applicable regulations.

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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.

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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.

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