Putri Anggraini
Saudi Arabian football authorities have imposed severe disciplinary sanctions on Saudi Pro League side Al Taawoun, mandating that the club stage their upcoming two home matches behind closed doors alongside a substantial financial fine. The punitive ruling was handed down after sections of the club's support directed taunting chants referencing the late Portugal international forward Diogo Jota towards Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves.
The comprehensive disciplinary package was officially announced on Tuesday by the Discipline and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). The governing body’s intervention arrived three days following the contentious league match, during which the unsavoury chanting occurred as Al Taawoun suffered a heavy 6-0 home defeat against their league rivals Al Hilal.
During the course of the lopsided encounter, video recordings capturing the actions of the crowd began circulating widely on social media platforms. The shared footage clearly showed segments of the home supporters repeatedly chanting the name of “Jota,” deliberately directing their taunts at Neves as he featured on the pitch for Al Hilal.
The chants made direct reference to former Liverpool and Portugal attacker Diogo Jota, who tragically died in a car crash in Spain last year alongside his brother, Andre Silva. The fatal collision claimed the lives of both brothers, leaving a profound sense of grief across the international footballing landscape where Jota had established his career.
For Neves, the taunts struck at an intensely personal and painful loss. The Al Hilal midfielder had shared a close personal relationship with Jota, having played alongside him as an international teammate for Portugal. Their deep friendship was demonstrated in the wake of the tragedy, when Neves served as one of the pallbearers at Jota’s funeral service.
When the chants reverberated from the stands during the match, Neves offered an immediate and poignant response on the pitch. The midfielder was seen gesturing directly to his eye before pointing his finger upward toward the sky, visibly paying tribute to his departed friend in the face of the crowd's provocative behaviour.
Following the conclusion of the match, Neves directly addressed the conduct of the Al Taawoun supporters who engaged in the taunting. Speaking in the aftermath of Al Hilal’s 6-0 victory, the Portuguese player voiced his dismay at the moral character of those involved, remarking: “I hope they don’t go to pray afterwards.”
The incident ignited widespread condemnation across the sport, drawing severe criticism from major figures within Saudi football. Among the most prominent voices to speak out was Al-Nassr captain and Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo, who publicly called on football administrators to enforce strict accountability and remove such hostility from the stadium environment.
Reacting directly to an Instagram post that displayed the video footage of the chants, Ronaldo utilized his personal social media account to voice his outrage. The superstar forward stressed that this manner of supporter conduct had no place in the game and demanded firm institutional intervention from the league's leadership.
“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” Ronaldo stated in his online comment. Expressing his conviction that fundamental boundaries had been crossed by the spectators, he continued: “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.”
Ronaldo’s outspoken reaction went further, as the veteran captain specifically advocated for lifetime stadium bans to be imposed against any fans found guilty of taking part in the chants. His comments underscored growing demands across the league for zero tolerance regarding behaviour that weaponizes personal bereavement against athletes.
Following the match, Al Hilal moved swiftly to address the incident through official channels by submitting a formal complaint to the SAFF. In their communication to the governing body, Al Hilal strongly condemned the chanting directed at Neves, describing the actions of the Al Taawoun supporters as utterly offensive and completely unacceptable.
Al Taawoun likewise issued an official response to the controversy, moving to denounce the actions that took place inside their venue. The club publicly condemned the behaviour of the individuals involved in the chanting, explicitly stating that such conduct did not reflect the values, principles, or true identity of the club and its broader support.
Following its review of the reports and formal submissions, the Discipline and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation confirmed that severe sporting and financial sanctions were required. The federation determined that Al Taawoun must bear institutional responsibility for the inappropriate conduct exhibited within the stadium during the hosted fixture.
As part of the formal penalty, Al Taawoun has been instructed to pay a fine of 100,000 riyals ($26,640) to the football federation. Furthermore, the committee ordered that the club must stage its next two home fixtures behind closed doors, completely barring spectators from attending as a direct consequence of the crowd's actions.
Comments (0)