Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime stadium bans for supporters who taunted his former international teammate, Ruben Neves, by chanting the name of the late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota.
Jota, who died in a car crash alongside his brother André Silva at the age of 28, was a close friend of Neves. The pair played together at Wolverhampton Wanderers and for the Portugal national team.
The incident occurred on Saturday before Neves’ Al-Hilal recorded a 6-0 victory over Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League, with some supporters repeatedly chanting Jota’s name towards the midfielder.
Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Nassr, condemned the behaviour and urged the league authorities to take strong action against those involved.
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” Ronaldo said in a social media post.
He added that such conduct had crossed the boundaries of football and called for the supporters involved to be permanently prevented from attending matches.
Neves responded to the chants during the match by sarcastically applauding the section of supporters before pointing towards the sky.
Speaking after the game, the Portugal midfielder expressed his disappointment, saying he hoped those responsible would reflect on their actions.
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Neves has continued to honour Jota’s memory by wearing the number 21 shirt for Portugal. He also has a tattoo on his calf depicting him and Jota embracing.
Ronaldo played alongside both Neves and Jota for Portugal.
Jota joined Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 and went on to score 65 goals in 182 appearances for the Premier League club.
He also scored 14 goals in 49 appearances for Portugal after making his international debut in 2019. The Portuguese forward and his brother died in a road crash in the Spanish province of Zamora.
The incident has drawn renewed attention to respect and sportsmanship among football supporters, with Ronaldo insisting that abusive conduct targeting players over personal tragedies should not be tolerated in stadiums.
