Al-Taawoun Punished for Fans' Cruel Chants Against Ruben Neves

Al-Taawoun have been ordered to play two Saudi Pro League home games behind closed doors after their supporters taunted Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves over the death of his close friend and former team-mate Diogo Jota.

The disciplinary ruling lands alongside a financial penalty of 100,000 Saudi Riyals (£20,000), as league authorities moved quickly in response to the incident.

Cruel chants over Jota’s death

The flashpoint came before Al-Hilal’s 6-0 win on Saturday. As Neves warmed up, sections of the Al-Taawoun support repeatedly shouted “Jota” at him, mocking the loss of the Liverpool forward, who died in a car crash aged 28 in July last year.

For Neves, it cut deep. Jota was not just a colleague from their time together at Wolverhampton Wanderers and with Portugal. He was a friend, someone Neves now honours every time he steps onto the pitch.

The midfielder wears Portugal’s number 21 shirt in Jota’s memory. He carries a tattoo on his calf of the two embracing. He helped carry Jota’s coffin at the funeral. The bond was public and profound, which made the chants all the more vicious.

After the game, Neves did not hide his anger. “I just hope they don't go to pray later after what they did,” he told reporters, a stinging rebuke in a country where faith sits at the centre of daily life.

Ronaldo calls for lifetime bans

The reaction spread quickly beyond the stadium. Cristiano Ronaldo, now with Al-Nassr and a long-time international team-mate of Jota, demanded the harshest possible response, calling for lifetime bans for those involved in the chanting.

His intervention underlined how far the incident travelled inside Saudi football’s growing constellation of global stars. This was not just a local disciplinary issue; it was a test of the league’s stance on respect and abuse.

Club condemns its own fans

Al-Taawoun moved to distance the institution from the behaviour of those supporters. In a strongly worded statement, the club 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 punishment means Al-Taawoun will now host two league fixtures in an empty stadium, a stark visual reminder of the cost of crossing the line. The fine hits the club’s finances; the silence that will greet their next home games may sting even more.

In a league trying to project itself as a serious, global stage, this case leaves a blunt question hanging: where does passion end, and where must football finally draw the line?