Confronted with the disturbing footage of what appeared to be fans chanting the name of the late Diogo Jota in a bid to antagonize his close friend and former teammate Rúben Neves, Cristiano Ronaldo demanded lifetime stadium bans for all those involved.
Jota was tragically killed at the age of 28 along with his younger brother André Silva during a car accident in July 2025. While most of the sporting world has offered little aside from respectful remembrance of the beloved figure and former Liverpool legend, things took a distasteful turn in the Saudi Pro League over the weekend.
These deeply unsavory scenes were captured during Al Hilal’s 6–0 rout of Al Taawoun on Saturday. Neves was lining up a free kick for the visitors when sustained chants of “Jota, Jota, Jota” from the home crowd prompted the Portuguese midfielder to sarcastically applaud. Al Hilal’s midfielder turned to the Al Taawoun contingent and pointed to the sky.
After the victory, Neves would briefly tell reporters: “I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did.”
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