Saudi Arabian football authorities promised to take action and Cristiano Ronaldo called for life bans after rival fans taunted Al-Hilal’s Ruben Neves about the death of Diogo Jota, his friend and former Portugal team-mate.

Chants about Jota, the Liverpool and Portugal forward who died in a car crash last year, rang out during Al-Hilal’s 6-0 away win over Al-Taawoun on Saturday.

“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” Saudi-based Portugal captain Ronaldo wrote on Instagram on Sunday.

“People who behave like this should never be allowed to enter a stadium again,” he added.

Midfielder Neves, 29, reacted to the chants coming from the stands by sarcastically giving a thumbs-up and applauding, before pointing towards the sky. 

“I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did,” he said after the match.

Neves was one of Jota’s closest friends and was a pallbearer at his funeral. Jota, 28, and his brother Andre, 25, died in a crash in Spain in July 2025.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Saudi Pro League condemned “unacceptable conduct by some supporters” in a joint statement late on Sunday.

“Exploiting personal tragedies for the purpose of abuse or provocation is unacceptable behaviour that has no place in Saudi football,” the statement said.

“Relevant committees have identified the conduct in question and will take the necessary action in accordance with the applicable regulations and procedures,” it added.

Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup, one of the flagship events underpinning its drive to diversify an economy still heavily dependent on oil. 

The powerful Gulf monarchy has invested nearly two billion dollars in football over three years, attracting stars such as Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema.