Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime stadium bans after some Saudi Pro League fans taunted Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves with chants about his late friend, Diogo Jota.
The incident occurred during Al-Hilal’s 6-0 win over Al-Taawoun on Saturday, when supporters appeared to chant Jota’s name at Neves.
Neves, who was a close friend of Jota and a pallbearer at his funeral, responded by sarcastically applauding the fans and pointing towards the sky.
“I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did,” Neves said after the match.
Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr and was a Portugal teammate of both players, condemned the behavior on Instagram and called for permanent bans.
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behavior,” Ronaldo said. “People who behave like this should never be allowed to enter a stadium again.”
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Saudi Pro League also condemned the incident as “unacceptable conduct” and said relevant committees had identified those involved and would take action under existing regulations.
Jota, 28, died alongside his brother André Silva in a car crash in Spain in July 2025.
