They must be punished — Cristiano Ronaldo calls for lifetime ban after Jota chants

During Al-Hilal’s 6-0 victory over Al-Taawoun on Saturday, a section of home supporters repeatedly chanted “Jota, Jota, Jota” at Neves as he prepared to take a free-kick.

The Portuguese midfielder, a close friend of Jota, was visibly angered and responded by sarcastically applauding the fans before pointing to the sky.

Jota died in a car crash in Spain in July 2025 at the age of 28, alongside his brother André Silva.

Neves, who played with Jota at Wolverhampton Wanderers and for Portugal, was a pallbearer at his funeral and now wears the No. 21 shirt for the national team in his memory.

After the match, Neves told reporters: “I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did.”

Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr and was also a Portugal teammate of both players, reacted strongly on social media. Commenting on footage of the incident, he wrote:

“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.”

The Portuguese superstar’s call for permanent bans has intensified pressure on the Saudi Pro League to take firm action against the supporters involved.