Cristiano Ronaldo has made his feelings clear about supporters using tragedy chants about Diogo Jota to taunt Ruben Neves in sickening scenes from the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo answers to journalists during a press conference at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Cristiano Ronaldo has called for bans to be issued to fans tragedy chanting about Diogo Jota(Image: (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images))
Cristiano Ronaldo has called upon the Saudi Pro League to issue bans to any supporters involved in tragedy chants surrounding Diogo Jota, after the passing of his Portugal teammate was used to taunt Ruben Neves in sickening scenes over the weekend.
Jota, 28, passed away last summer in a car crash with his brother, Andre Silva, as news of the incident surrounding the Liverpool star shocked the world.
In the year or so since, plenty of work has been done to remember the Portuguese forward, be it in the stands with chants on the 20th minute, in reference to his iconic shirt number that has since been retired by the club, or in more permanent tributes around Anfield and the AXA Training Centre.
While that has been met with plenty of respect for the life of Jota, there were sickening scenes in the Saudi Pro League over the weekend, as footage circulated on social media of Al-Taawoun fans seemingly chanting Jota's name to taunt his international teammate Neves.
The former Wolves midfielder, who was standing over a free-kick on the side closest to the stand the video was being recorded from, seemingly applauded sarcastically before pointing to the sky and then making eye-pointing gestures to the section of fans the chant was coming from.
After the game, clearly annoyed at the situation he was put in, Neves hit out at the supporters and said to reporters in the mixed zone: "I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did."
His international teammate, Ronaldo, made his feelings clear on social media. The striker, who also plays in the Saudi Pro League, called on the division's chiefs to ban those involved when commenting on Instagram.
He said, in response to the Neves video: "The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behavior. 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.”
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - JULY 01: Diogo Jota and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal celebrate following the team's victory in the penalty shoot out during the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between Portugal and Slovenia at Frankfurt Arena on July 01, 2024 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
It is unclear whether the league will act following the tragedy chants, but both Neves and Ronaldo have voiced their thoughts on the situation.
Jota's passing impacted plenty of people, from fans and the wider soccer family as a whole, to his friends, family, coaches, and teammates that knew him a little closer.
Ronaldo played 32 times alongside his forward partner for Portugal's national team, with the pair memorably winning the UEFA Nations League during that time together.
As for Neves, he featured for both club and country with Jota, playing together at Wolves and for Portugal, racking up 164 appearances in that time. The midfielder commemorated his friend's life with a tattoo, showing the pair hugging on a pitch during their career.
It underlines even more just how much the tragedy chants hurt. Now it remains to be seen how the league will deal with the sickening behavior of those supporters.