The Saudi Pro League has moved to punish Al-Taawoun after supporters chanted the name of the late Diogo Jota at Rúben Neves, an episode that has focused attention on how the competition deals with the scrutiny that now follows it.
The abuse came at the end of Al-Taawoun’s 6-0 home thrashing by Al-Hilal, a game in which Al-Hilal’s £150m-plus forward line of Ollie Watkins and Gabriel Martinelli scored five goals between them. What appeared to be a small number of fans spotted Neves in the centre circle and began chanting the name of Jota, his former Portugal and Wolves teammate, who died in a car accident in July 2025. Neves, who has a tattoo of the Liverpool forward and was a pallbearer at his funeral, was visibly upset. He made a gesture that clearly told those supporters “God is watching you”, and afterwards told Saudi reporters: “I hope they don’t go to pray afterwards.”
On Sunday 13 September, Cristiano Ronaldo addressed the events of the previous evening with a message to his 680 million Instagram followers. “The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” he wrote. “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.” Al-Hilal made an official complaint, and a story that began in a half-empty away ground quickly travelled well beyond Saudi Arabia.
Reaction inside the country was swift. Ayman al-Hotami, one of Al-Hilal’s best-known supporters, said: “I found the chants hard to believe but those responsible were few in number and very young. Al-Hilal’s fanbase completely condemn the chants and demanded an apology regarding the actions of individuals in their stands. We appreciate the club’s response in condemning this isolated incident, which represents neither the club nor our society.” The Saudi broadcaster Waleed al-Faraj drew a distinction between the usual sporting needle and what happened here: “To shout ‘Messi’ at Ronaldo is acceptable within the context of the rivalry between them, but to chant the name of his deceased teammate Jota at Neves is an inappropriate act. How can you play on people’s grief like this? You should have some humanity.” Sami al-Jaber, the Saudi legend who played at four World Cups and had a short spell in England with Wolves, sent his own message to Neves: “Rúben, your presence in Saudi football means a great deal to us. As Saudis, we take pride in our values of respect and hospitality … they transcend any sporting rivalry. This behaviour does not reflect those values. I hope you know how warmly you are regarded here, and how much you belong.”
Ronaldo’s call for action was answered four days later. “The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (Saff) and the Saudi Pro League (SPL) condemn the unacceptable conduct by some supporters in attendance,” a statement said, adding that the chants were inconsistent with the values of Saudi football and sportsmanship in general. Al-Taawoun were handed a sanction of around £20,000 and ordered to play two matches behind closed doors. An earlier statement had said that “exploiting personal tragedies for the purpose of abuse or provocation is unacceptable behaviour that has no place in Saudi football”. Al-Taawoun themselves had condemned what happened and said it was “not representative of their supporters”. Still, there is a feeling that the league was too lenient, and that a clearer message of zero tolerance, aimed at the individuals responsible, was missed in a case as clear-cut as this.
The wider question is one of growing pains. Away from home in small stadiums with low attendances, often the case when the big teams play outside Jeddah and Riyadh, the chants of a few can carry far; more than once Ronaldo has heard the name of a certain Argentinian star coming his way and reacted badly. This, though, was on a completely different level, and European football has spent years trying to stamp out offensive chanting. “Stadiums in places such as Portugal and England are nowadays heavily controlled spaces,” says Simon Chadwick, professor of Afro-Eurasian Sport at Emlyon Business School in Paris. “Hence, when someone like Ronaldo encounters [verbal abuse] he will inevitably respond, thereby attracting attention from the media and others. Saudi Arabian fans need to get used to such a reaction fast.” Chadwick also warns that outside bodies could step in: “Organisations such as the AFC and Fifa may even implement codes of conduct and penalties for situations like the Jota episode. In other words, if Saudi fans and/or the Pro League can’t regulate or control the situation, then someone else will.” With the Asian Cup arriving in the country in January for the first time, and preparation for the 2034 World Cup under way, Saudi Arabia will be hoping that such intervention proves unnecessary.