Cristiano Ronaldo calls for lifetime bans over Diogo Jota chants at Al-Taawoun v Al-Hilal | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime bans for supporters who targeted Ruben Neves with chants about Diogo Jota during Al-Taawoun v Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.

Al-Hilal won 6-0 on Saturday, yet the match was eclipsed by incidents in the stands. According to L'Équipe, the chants were led by sections of the Al-Taawoun support.

The songs referenced Portugal international Diogo Jota, who died alongside his brother in a car accident on 3 July 2025, and were intended to unsettle Neves, his former Seleçao team-mate and close friend.

The Al-Nassr forward responded on Instagram, urging the league to act and punish such behaviour. He said it was no longer football, insisted limits were needed, and that those responsible should never again be allowed into a stadium.

Asked in the mixed zone after the game, Neves gave a single response, saying he hoped they would not go to pray afterwards.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”