Saudi Pro League bans club over ‘Jota’ chants, after Ronaldo demands action

Al-Taawoun, a club in the Saudi Pro League, has been banned from playing two home matches behind closed doors and fined 100,000 Saudi Riyals (approximately £20,000) following chants directed at Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves. These chants were in reference to Diogo Jota, a former teammate of Neves who passed away in a car accident in July 2022.

The chants, which persisted during Al-Hilal's 6-0 victory over Al-Taawoun on Saturday, were a direct reference to Jota, the Liverpool and Portugal forward. Neves, who wears number 21 in Jota's memory and has a tattoo depicting them together, expressed his disappointment with the fans' actions, hoping they would not attend religious services after the incident.

Cristiano Ronaldo, a teammate of Jota and now playing for Al-Nassr, strongly condemned the behavior, advocating for lifetime bans for the offending fans. The Saudi Pro League's decision to enforce these penalties means Al-Taawoun will miss two home matches and face a substantial financial penalty. In response, the club stated that such behavior is completely unacceptable and does not represent their values, emphasizing that sports competition should not be used to insult or belittle others.