Cristiano Ronaldo urges lifetime stadium bans over Ruben Neves abuse

Cristiano Ronaldo has called for lifetime stadium bans for fans who cross the line after Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves was subjected to chants referencing the late Portuguese footballer Diogo Jota.

The incident occurred during Al Hilal’s Saudi Pro League clash against Al Taawoun on September 12. Footage shared on social media showed Neves preparing to take a free-kick when supporters began chanting, “Jota, Jota, Jota”.

Neves responded with sarcastic applause and a thumbs-up before pointing towards the sky and then in the direction of the supporters.

Jota, a former Liverpool and Portugal forward, died in a car accident in Zamora, Spain, in July 2025 at the age of 28. His younger brother, André Silva, 25, also died in the crash.

Neves and Jota were close friends after playing together at Wolverhampton Wanderers and in Portugal’s youth and senior teams. Neves was among the pallbearers at Jota’s funeral and later took over his No. 21 shirt for Portugal. He also had a tattoo of the two players together added to his calf.

Speaking after the match, Neves expressed his anger over the chants.

“I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did,” he said, as quoted by ESPN.

Decisive action

Ronaldo, who plays alongside Neves for Portugal and is currently with Al Nassr, condemned the behaviour and called on the Saudi Pro League to take decisive action.

“The league must act and punish this kind of behaviour from supporters,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.

“This is no longer football and boundaries must be set. People who behave like this should never be allowed into a stadium again,” he added.

Neves and Jota had shared a long-standing friendship, making the incident particularly painful for the Al Hilal midfielder.

Despite the controversy, Al-Hilal strengthened their position at the top of the Saudi Pro League with a commanding 6-0 victory over Al Taawoun. Gabriel Martinelli scored a hat-trick, while Ollie Watkins added two goals.