Diogo Jota died in a tragic circumstance last year in Spain while driving his supercar along with his brother in the north-western region of the country
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File photos of Cristiano Ronaldo (L) and Diogo Jota while he was alive(Credits: IANS)
Portugal and Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo has demanded for lifetime bans to a certain sect of supporters, who chanted the name of late Portuguese footballer Diogo Jota to his former teammate and Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves, who was very close to the former Liverpool forward.
The moment occurred right before a Saudi Pro League 2026-27 matchday seven fixture between Al-Taawoun and Al-Hilal when home supporters of Taawoun started to direct Diogo Jota chants to Ruben Neves as a way to provoke and distract him before kick-off.
The supporters constantly chanted “Jota Jota” to possibly remind Neves of his former teammates death but the Portugal midfielder did not take any of it lightlyThe Al-Hilal midfielder was seemingly upset with the chants as he clapped and made thumbs up gestures to those doing such an inhuman thing from the stands.
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Ruben Neves’ side then went on to thrash Al-Taawoun 6-0 in front of their home supporters but the real drama started after the 90 minutesNeves made his intentions clear while speaking to the reporters, disapproving the entire situation and hoped that the supporters did not go to pray after those heinous chants“I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did,” Neves told the reporters.
It did not stop thereRuben Neves’ Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who is also his direct rival in the Saudi league, jumped in straight for Neves and Jota’s defenseThe star striker, who also shared the Portuguese dressing room with Jota, made an aggressive comment below a video of the incident on social media platform Instagram.
The five-time Ballon d’or winner urged the Saudi Pro League authorities to take strict action against those involved in this case, claiming that such kind of fan behaviour must be punishedRonaldo also called for their lifetime bans.
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviourThis is no longer football, and there have to be limitsPeople who behave like this should never be allowed to enter a stadium again,” Cristiano Ronaldo commented on the Instagram video.
On Sunday night, the Saudi Football Federation and the top-flight league released a joint statement and condemned the fan behaviour“Exploiting personal tragedies for the purpose of abuse or provocation is unacceptable behaviour that has no place in Saudi football,” the statement read.
How did Diogo Jota die?
Diogo Jota died in a tragic circumstance last year in Spain while driving his supercar along with his brother in the north-western region of the countryThe unfortunate event took place on 3 July, 2025 in Zamora province where Diogo Jota’s Lamborghini veered off the road before rolling over and burning in flames.
Police later confirmed that Jota was over speeding while trying to overtake another vehicle which caused the tires to blowout and claim his and his brother Andre Silva’s livesThis fatal car accident remains as one of the most horrifying incidents ever happened to a sportsperson.
