Ronaldo demands lifetime ban for fans who insulted Jota

Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his anger at the chants he received from fans during a Saudi Pro League match about the late teammate Diogo Jota, saying on Sunday that fans who chanted the slogan against Ruben Neves should be banned from stadiums for life.

The incident occurred during a match between Al-Tayoun and Neves' team Al-Hilal on Saturday in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.

Jota died in a car accident in the northwestern Spanish city of Zamora on 3 July 2025. His brother André Silva also died in the accident. Neves was a close friend of Jota and was one of the pallbearers at his funeral.

In a video taken from the gallery during the match and circulated on social media, spectators are seen chanting the name 'Jota'.

This slogan caught Neves' attention. In response, he showed his eyes, then raised his hands to the sky.

"I hope they don't go to pray after that," Neves said as he walked through the mixed zone after the match.

Ronaldo commented from his personal account in response to an Instagram post with a video.

"The league authorities should take action now and punish the spectators for such behavior. This is no longer football, there has to be a limit. People who behave like this should never be allowed into the stadium again," he said.

Al-Hilal won the match 6-0. Neves was taken off after 75 minutes of play.

In a statement on its website on Sunday, Al-Hilal Club Company said it had filed a complaint with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation over the incident. The club said it was "confident" that action would be taken to "protect the integrity of the game from aggressive behavior."

Al-Hilal's statement said, "The company expresses its complete rejection of any actions that target or personally harm players or their families."

Later on Sunday, Al-Tayoun also issued a statement, strongly condemning the offensive slogan.

"Such behavior is completely unacceptable and does not represent the known values ​​of Al-Tayoun, their supporters or their gallery," the statement said.

Al-Tayoun also said that all necessary measures will be taken in coordination with the relevant authorities to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future and that the perpetrators are held accountable.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Saudi Pro League (SPL) condemned the behavior of the spectators on Sunday.

In a joint statement, the SAFF and SPL said the behavior of some spectators during the match was "not consistent with the values ​​and principles of sportsmanship of Saudi football."

The two organizations also said that using personal tragedies "for the purpose of insulting or inciting is behavior that is completely unacceptable in Saudi football."

SAFF said the relevant committee has identified this behavior and necessary action will be taken as per applicable rules and procedures. The outcome will be communicated once this process is completed.