Ronaldo Demands Lifetime Bans After Foreign Fans Mock Dead Player

Interesting cristiano ronaldo, death, soccer admin September 15, 2026 0 Comments

Ronaldo Demands Lifetime Bans After Foreign Fans Mock Dead Player

Cristiano Ronaldo wants fans who taunted a former teammate’s grief for a dead friend thrown out of stadiums for good.

The Al-Nassr forward called for permanent bans in the Saudi Pro League after fans chanted the name of the late Diogo Jota at Rúben Neves, according to The Guardian. Ronaldo posted his demand from his personal Instagram account beneath footage of the incident.

“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behavior,” Ronaldo 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.” (RELATED: Coach For Top Club Announces Resignation In Press Conference Immediately After Tie. President Refuses)

The chanting broke out Saturday during Al-Hilal’s match against Al-Taawoun in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia, The Guardian reported. Video shared online captured the home crowd shouting “Jota” at Neves, who plays for Al-Hilal. His side won 6-0, and he was substituted after 75 minutes.

Neves answered the crowd on the field, ESPN reported, applauding sarcastically before he pointed to his eye and then to the sky. Speaking to reporters afterward, he added a pointed remark.

“I hope they don’t go to pray afterwards,” Neves said, according to The Guardian.

Jota died July 3, 2025, in a car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain along with his brother André Silva, according to Arab News. Neves served as a pallbearer at the funeral. ESPN noted the two came up together through Portugal’s youth ranks, at Porto and later at Wolverhampton, and that Neves took over Jota’s No. 21 shirt for the national team. Both played alongside Ronaldo on the Portuguese national team.

Saudi authorities moved quickly. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation and the Saudi Pro League jointly condemned the fans and said exploiting personal tragedy has no place in the sport, according to Arab News. Al-Hilal filed a formal complaint, and Al-Taawoun issued its own condemnation.

Ronaldo knows the disciplinary system from the other side. Sports Illustrated reported that the federation suspended him one game and fined him in 2024 after he made an obscene gesture toward Al-Shabab fans chanting Lionel Messi’s name.