Ronaldo Fumes Over Jota Taunts, Calls For Lifetime Ban On Offending Fans

Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime stadium bans for supporters who allegedly taunted Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves with chants about his late friend and former teammate, Diogo Jota.

The incident reportedly occurred during Al-Hilal’s 6-0 victory over Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, when sections of the crowd repeatedly chanted Jota’s name in the direction of Neves.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Nassr, strongly condemned the behaviour and urged league authorities to take decisive action against those involved.

“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” Ronaldo stated in a social media post. “This is no longer football, and there have to be limits. People who behave like this should never be allowed to enter a stadium again.”

Neves appeared to respond to the chants by sarcastically applauding the supporters before pointing towards the sky. The midfielder later expressed his disappointment over the incident, saying he hoped those responsible would reflect on their actions.

Neves was a close friend and former teammate of Jota, with the pair having played together at Wolverhampton Wanderers and represented Portugal alongside each other.

Jota died alongside his brother, Andre Silva, in a car crash in the Spanish province of Zamora at the age of 28. Since the tragedy, Neves has continued to honour his former teammate by wearing Portugal’s number 21 shirt in his memory and having a tattoo on his calf depicting the two players embracing.

Ronaldo also shared the Portugal dressing room with both Jota and Neves during his international career. Jota joined Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 and scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the club. He also earned 49 international caps for Portugal, scoring 14 goals.