Portuguese and Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo has called on the Saudi Pro League to sanction fans involved in taunting Ruben Neves with chants about his late friend and former teammate Diogo Jota during a match on Saturday with a life ban.
A video circulating widely on social media, filmed from the stands at Al Taawoun Club Stadium, shows Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves preparing to take a free-kick close to the home supporters as chants of “Jota, Jota, Jota” can be heard from the stands.
The Portuguese midfielder appeared to respond by sarcastically applauding the supporters before pointing towards the sky and then gesturing towards the section of the stand where the chants appeared to be coming from.
After the match, Neves briefly addressed reporters as he walked past the media area. The Al Hilal midfielder said: “I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did.” He did not provide any further details about the incident.
The football world mourned the death of Jota and his brother André Silva, who were killed in a car crash in Zamora, Spain, in July last year.
Ronaldo later took to Instagram to condemn the supporters’ behaviour, writing: “The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behavior. 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 defeated Al Taawoun 6-0 away from home on Saturday, with Gabriel Martinelli, who recently joined the club from Arsenal, scoring a hat-trick, while former Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins netted twice.
Neves and Jota had been close friends from a young age. Both represented Portugal and played together at Porto before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2017, when they were both 20.
