Ronaldo seeks stadium bans over ‘Jota’ chants

Portugal and Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime stadium bans for fans who chanted the name of the late Diogo Jota at his Portugal teammate Ruben Neves during a Saudi Pro League match.

Supporters appeared to target Neves during Al-Hilal’s 6-0 victory over Al-Taawoun on Saturday, repeatedly shouting “Jota” at the midfielder.

Jota, the former Liverpool and Portugal forward, died in a car crash in Spain last July at the age of 28.

His death had a profound impact on Neves, who played alongside him at Wolverhampton Wanderers and for Portugal.

Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Nassr, condemned the supporters’ behaviour in a social media post on Sunday.

Ronaldo wrote,
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour. 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.”

Neves, who now wears the No. 21 shirt for Portugal in memory of Jota, was visibly unhappy with the chants.

Footage showed him sarcastically applauding a section of supporters before pointing towards the sky.

After the match, Neves also addressed the incident, saying: “I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did.”

Jota died alongside his brother, Andre Silva, in the crash in the Spanish province of Zamora.

The forward made 182 appearances for Liverpool after joining from Wolves in 2020, scoring 65 goals. He also earned 49 caps for Portugal and scored 14 international goals.

Ronaldo played alongside both Jota and Neves for Portugal, making the incident particularly personal for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The Saudi football authorities now face calls to take action against the supporters involved.