Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime stadium bans after fans repeatedly chanted the name of late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota at his Portugal teammate Ruben Neves. Jota, who was just 28, died alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain last July. He and Neves were close friends after playing together at Wolverhampton Wanderers and for Portugal.On Saturday, supporters appeared to target Neves during Al-Hilal’s 6-0 victory over Al-Taawoun, repeatedly shouting “Jota” at the midfielder.
Neves, who now wears Portugal’s No. 21 shirt in memory of his late friend and has a tattoo of the pair embracing, responded with sarcastic applause towards the section of fans before pointing towards the sky.His post-match reaction was even more pointed.”I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did,” Neves told reporters.
Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi rivals Al-Nassr and shared the Portugal dressing room with both Neves and Jota, was equally furious.”The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” Ronaldo wrote on social media. “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.”Al-Hilal condemned the behaviour, saying it had “absolute rejection” for actions targeting players or their families or intended to cause personal offence. Al-Taawoun also described the chants as “completely unacceptable”, insisting they did not represent the club, its supporters or its values.
Read Also: Ronaldo’s fans turn on Portugal players
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Saudi Pro League joined the condemnation on Sunday, saying the behaviour was inconsistent with the values of Saudi football and the principles of sportsmanship.The federation confirmed that its relevant committees had identified the incident and were investigating.Jota spent four seasons at Liverpool after joining from Wolves in 2020, scoring 65 goals in 182 appearances. He also made 49 appearances for Portugal, scoring 14 times.