Riyadh: Cristiano Ronaldo has called on the Saudi Pro League to impose lifetime stadium bans on supporters involved in chants apparently taunting Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves over the death of his close friend and former teammate Diogo Jota.
The incident occurred during Al Hilal’s match against Al Taawoun on Saturday, when chants of “Jota, Jota, Jota” could be heard as Neves prepared to take a free-kick near the home supporters.
Video footage widely circulated on social media showed Neves responding by sarcastically applauding before pointing towards the sky and making a gesture towards the section of the crowd from which the chants appeared to originate.
Speaking briefly to reporters after the match, Neves said: “I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did.” He did not elaborate further.
Jota died in July 2025 at the age of 28 alongside his 25-year-old brother, Andre Silva, after their car crashed in Zamora, Spain.
Neves and Jota were teammates with the Portuguese national side, while Ronaldo also played alongside Jota for Portugal. Neves subsequently inherited Jota’s No. 21 shirt with the national team.
Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi club Al Nassr, condemned the supporters’ behaviour and urged league authorities to take strong disciplinary action.
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behavior,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram. “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 Athletic said it had approached Al Hilal, the Saudi Pro League and Neves’ representatives for comment.