Ronaldo seeks stadium bans over ‘Jota’ chants

Portugal and Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime bans for fans who chanted the name of late teammate Diogo Jota during a Saudi Pro League match. The chanting occurred during Al-Hilal’s 6-0 win over Al-Taawoun on Saturday, targeting Jota's Portugal teammate, Ruben Neves. Jota passed away in a car crash in Spain last July at age 28, leaving a significant impact on Neves, who played with him at Wolverhampton Wanderers and for Portugal.

Ronaldo, who now plays for Al-Nassr's rivals, condemned the fans' behavior in a Sunday social media post, stating that the league must take action to punish such fan behavior and that there must be limits. Neves, who now wears the No. 21 shirt in memory of Jota, was visibly upset by the chants, reportedly sarcastically applauding supporters before pointing towards the sky.

Ronaldo has hit 979 career goals, and the incident has prompted calls for action from the Saudi football authorities against the offending fans.