Saudi Pro League club punished after vile Diogo Jota chants aimed at Ruben Neves

Saudi Pro League side Al-Taawoun have been punished after sickening Diogo Jota chants were aimed at the late Liverpool star's friend and compatriot Ruben Neves

Saudi Pro League side Al-Taawoun have been forced to play their next two home matches behind closed doors after Ruben Neves was taunted over the death of Diogo Jota. Al-Hilal star Neves was a close friend and team-mate of Jota, who died in a car crash in July 2025.

The Liverpool and Portugal star and his brother, Andre Silva, both died following an accident in Spain that sent the footballing world into mourning. Neves was a pallbearer at Jota's funeral and now wears his friend's shirt number for Portugal, and has a tattoo on his calf in Jota's memory.

During Al-Hilal's 6-0 win over Al-Taawoun, the latter's fans repeatedly shouted 'Jota' at Neves. The former Wolves midfielder could be seen sarcastically applauding fans before pointing towards the sky.

After the game, Neves told reporters: "I just hope they don't go to pray later after what they did."

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Al-Taawoun have been fined 100,000 Saudi Riyals (£20,000) for their fans' actions, with supporters not permitted for their next two league matches at home. The sanction comes after the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo spoke out about the issue.

Ronaldo, the face of the league, called for the guilty fans to be handed lifetime bans. The Al-Nassr forward said: "The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour.

"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."

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In a statement, Al-Taawoun said: "Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and does not represent the club, its fans, or the values for which the club is known. Sports competition cannot be a justification for insulting, belittling, or bullying others at the expense of anyone's feelings."

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Saudi Pro League (SPL) had also condemned the supporters' behaviour before issuing the punishment. A joint statement said the incident and conduct of some fans during the match were "inconsistent with the values of Saudi football and the principles of sportsmanship".

The statement added that exploiting personal tragedies "for the purpose of abuse or provocation is unacceptable behaviour that has no place in Saudi football".

Neves has previously spoken about how he still speaks to Jota following his passing. "I still talk to him," he said.

"Few people know this. We have a WhatsApp group with Rute (Jota's widow) and Diogo, and it's still there, and we continue to talk there.

“Whenever something special happens, I have the conversations archived on my WhatsApp so I can continue to send him messages."

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