Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime stadium bans for football fans who taunted Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves with chants referencing his late friend and former teammate, Diogo Jota.
The incident occurred during Al-Hilal’s 6–0 victory over Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, September 12, when sections of the home crowd reportedly chanted Jota’s name at Neves.
Neves, who was a close friend of Jota and played alongside him at Wolverhampton Wanderers and with the Portugal national team, appeared visibly upset by the chants. He responded by gesturing towards the supporters and pointing towards the sky.
After the match, Neves expressed his displeasure over the incident, questioning the conduct of the supporters involved.
Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Nassr and also represented Portugal alongside both Neves and Jota, condemned the behaviour in a social media post.
He called on the league to take action against those responsible, saying such conduct had gone beyond acceptable football rivalry and that there should be limits to what supporters are allowed to do inside stadiums.
Ronaldo further called for offenders to be permanently prevented from attending matches.
Al-Hilal condemned the chants and filed a formal complaint with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, while Al-Taawoun also denounced the behaviour and said it did not represent the club or its supporters.
The Saudi football authorities have also condemned the incident, with investigations expected to determine what disciplinary measures should be taken against those involved.
Jota, the former Liverpool and Portugal forward, died alongside his brother, André Silva, in a road accident in Spain in July 2025. His death had a significant emotional impact on Neves, who was among those who carried his coffin at the funeral.
