Saudi club given stadium ban over Jota chants towards Neves
Saudi Pro League side Al-Taawoun are ordered to play two matches behind closed doors after supporters taunted Ruben Neves over the death of friend Diogo Jota.
Al-Taawoun, a Saudi Pro League team, has been banned from playing home matches to closed doors for two games due to their fans chanting insults at Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves. Neves was taunted for the death of his friend and fellow team member, Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, who passed away in a car accident in July last year.
Jota and Neves were teammates at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portugal. Neves, who wears Liverpool's number 21 jersey in Jota's memory and has a tattoo of them embracing, was present at Jota's funeral, where he served as a pallbearer.
Following the 6-0 victory for Al-Taawoun on Saturday, the team's supporters repeatedly shouted "Jota" at Neves. After the match, Neves expressed his hope that the chanting fans would not attend church after their actions. In response, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota's former teammate at Al-Nassr, called for lifetime bans for the fans responsible. Al-Taawoun issued a statement condemning the behavior as "completely unacceptable" and emphasizing that it does not align with their club's values or the standards expected.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Sport Football's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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