Saudi football authorities have condemned the behaviour of supporters who allegedly taunted Al-Hilal midfielder Rúben Neves with chants referencing his late friend and former Portugal teammate, Diogo Jota.
The incident occurred during Al-Hilal’s 6-0 victory over Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, with footage circulating online appearing to show sections of the crowd chanting Jota’s name at Neves.
Jota, who played alongside both Neves and Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal, died in a car crash in Spain in July 2025 alongside his younger brother, André Silva. Neves was one of the pallbearers at Jota’s funeral.
Neves appeared visibly affected by the chants during the match and responded by pointing towards his eye before looking towards the sky. Speaking after the game, the midfielder expressed his disappointment over the incident.
Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr and was also a close international teammate of Jota, reacted strongly after seeing footage of the incident.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner called on the Saudi Pro League to punish the supporters involved and argued that anyone responsible should be permanently prevented from entering football stadiums.
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” Ronaldo said in a social media response. He added that such conduct had crossed the boundaries of football.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and Saud
