Al Taawoun banned and fined over Jota chants at Neves

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation has sanctioned Al Taawoun with a two-match stadium ban and a fine of 100,000 riyals after fans chanted the name of the late footballer Diogo Jota at Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves during a league match. The disciplinary committee announced the punishment on Tuesday, September 16, 2026, following an investigation into the incident that occurred during Al Taawoun's 6-0 defeat to Al Hilal on Saturday, September 13. Video footage from the match showed sections of the crowd chanting "Jota, Jota, Jota" as Neves prepared to take a free kick near the home supporters. Neves, who was a close friend and former teammate of Jota, reacted by pointing to his eye and then to the sky. After the match, he told reporters, "I just hope they don't go to pray later after what they did." The chants drew widespread condemnation. Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who played alongside both Neves and Jota for Portugal, called for the fans involved to receive lifetime stadium bans. "The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram. "This is no longer football, and there have to be limits.