Ronaldo calls for life bans of Saudi Pro League fans after Jota chants

Fans at Al-Taawoun and Al-Hilal game seem to taunt Ruben Neves by chanting the name of his deceased teammate, Diogo Jota.Cristiano Ronaldo ‌has said that fans who appeared to make chants referencing ⁠former teammate Diogo ⁠Jota at Ruben Neves during a Saudi Pro League match should be banned from football stadiums for life.The chants occurred on Saturday during ⁠a fixture between Al-Taawoun and Neves’s side Al-Hilal in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Morocco PM takes aim at federation chief over 2030 World Cup final boastlist 2 of 4FIFA rebukes Morocco’s claim it will host 2030 World Cup finallist 3 of 4UEFA wants FIFA subsidiaries’ blocked from Infantino discovery fight in USlist 4 of 4French Football Federation withdraws support for FIFA President Infantinoend of listJota died on July 3, 2025, in a car crash in Zamora, northwestern Spain, along ⁠with his brother Andre Silva. A close friend of Jota, Neves was a pallbearer at his funeral.Footage filmed from the stands during the match and circulated on social media appeared to show supporters chanting “Jota”.The shouts attracted the attention of Neves, who ‌pointed to his eye and then up to the sky in response.Passing through the mixed zone after the game, Neves commented, “I hope they don’t go to pray afterwards.”In response to an Instagram post showing the footage, Ronaldo commented from his personal account.“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” said Ronaldo.“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 game finished 6-0 to Al-Hilal, with Neves playing 75 minutes before being substituted.Al-Hilal Club Company announced in a statement on their website on Sunday that they ⁠had filed a complaint with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation relating to the incident. The Saudi Pro League club said they ⁠were “confident” that measures would be taken to “protect the integrity ⁠of sporting competition from offensive practices”.