Ronaldo Demands Life Ban for Fans Chanting Late Jota’s Name

Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime bans to be issued to fans who repeatedly chanted the late Diogo Jota's name during a match against Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League. Jota, a Liverpool forward, passed away in a car crash at the age of 28 in July last year, leaving his teammate Ruben Neves deeply affected. Neves, who plays for Portugal and Al-Nassr, has worn Jota's number 21 shirt in memory of his friend and even has a tattoo of them embracing on his calf.

In a statement on social media, Ronaldo expressed his disappointment with the fan behavior, emphasizing that such actions are no longer acceptable in football and that there should be limits in place. Neves, who played with both Jota and Ronaldo for the national team, appeared to be sarcastically applauding the section of fans shouting "Jota" at Neves, before pointing to the sky and then looking at them.

Neves later told reporters that he hoped the fans would not attend prayers after their actions. Jota, who played alongside Neves for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portugal, scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool after joining the club from Wolves in 2020. He made his international debut for Portugal in 2019 and scored 14 goals in 49 games for his country.