Saudi Pro League side Al Taawoun has been hit with severe penalties by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) after supporters targeted Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves with offensive chants. The club must play their next two home matches behind closed doors and pay a 100,000 riyal ($26,640) fine for the incident, which occurred during Al Hilal’s 6-0 victory.
Social media footage from the match showed segments of the crowd chanting the name of the late Portuguese forward Diogo Jota toward Neves. The midfielder, a former teammate and close friend who served as a pallbearer at Jota’s funeral following his death in a car crash in Spain last year, reacted on the pitch by pointing to his eyes and the sky. He later remarked, “I hope they don’t go to pray afterwards.”
The incident drew significant condemnation, notably from Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo. Writing from his personal account on Instagram, the football icon stated, “The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour.” Ronaldo further emphasized that such conduct is unacceptable, adding, “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 SAFF Discipline and Ethics Committee confirmed the sanctions on Tuesday, just three days after the match. While Al Hilal formally complained to the federation labeling the conduct “offensive and unacceptable,” Al Taawoun issued a statement condemning the supporters’ actions. The club distanced itself from the behavior, asserting that the chants did not represent their organization or the broader fanbase. The report also notes that videos circulated on social media appeared to show sections of the crowd chanting “Jota” during Al Hilal’s 6-0 win over Al Taawoun.
