Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo said ‌on Sunday that fans who appeared to make chants referencing former teammate Diogo Jota at Ruben Neves during a Saudi Pro League match should be banned from football stadiums ​for life.

The chants occurred on Saturday during a fixture between Al-Taawoun and Neves’ side Al-Hilal in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia.

Jota died on July 3, 2025, in a car crash in Zamora, northwestern Spain, along with his brother Andre Silva. A close friend of Jota, Neves was a pallbearer at his funeral.

Footage filmed from the stands during the match and circulated on social media appeared to show supporters chanting ‘Jota’.

The shouts attracted the attention of Neves, who pointed ‌to his eye ‌and then up to the sky in response.

Passing ​through ‌the ⁠mixed ​zone after ⁠the game, Neves commented, “I hope they don’t go to pray afterwards.”

In response to an Instagram post showing the footage, Ronaldo commented from his personal account.

“The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behavior,” said Ronaldo.

“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.”

The game finished 6-0 to ⁠Al-Hilal, with Neves playing 75 minutes before being substituted.

Al-Hilal ‌Club Company announced in a statement on ‌its website on Sunday that it had filed a ​complaint with the Saudi Arabian Football ‌Federation relating to the incident. The Saudi Pro League club were “confident” that ‌measures would be taken to “protect the integrity of sporting competition from offensive practices.”

“The Company expressed its absolute rejection of such actions targeting players or their families, or intended to cause personal offense,” said Al-Hilal’s statement.

Later on Sunday, Al-Taawoun also released a statement, ‌which strongly condemned the offensive chants.

“Such conduct is completely unacceptable and does not represent Al-Taawoun, its supporters or the ⁠values for which ⁠its terraces are known.”

Al-Taawoun added that it would “take all necessary measures in coordination with the relevant authorities to prevent a recurrence and hold offenders accountable.”

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and the Saudi Pro League (SPL) also condemned the supporters’ behavior on Sunday.

In a joint statement, SAFF and the SPL said the conduct of some fans during the match was “inconsistent with the values of Saudi football and the principles of sportsmanship.”

The governing bodies added that exploiting personal tragedies “for the purpose of abuse or provocation is unacceptable behavior that has no place in Saudi football.”

SAFF said the relevant committees had identified the conduct ​in question and would take the ​necessary action in accordance with applicable regulations and procedures, with the outcome to be announced once the process is completed.

HONG KONG: Cristiano Ronaldo will have a last crack at winning the Asian Champions League when the continent’s top club competition begins on Monday, with big-spending Saudi teams set to dominate.

The 41-year-old former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus superstar said in August that it was “probably my last year in football.”

The Portuguese attacker has nearly won it all during his club career, including five UEFA Champions League crowns.

But the Asian Champions League has so far eluded the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

His Al Nassr side go into the latest continental campaign under a new coach in former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked by Spurs in June 2025 despite taking them to Europa League glory.

Along with Ronaldo, the Riyadh-based outfit have proven international attacking quality in Kingsley Coman, Sadio Mane and Ronaldo’s Portugal team-mate Joao Felix.

Al Nassr are second in the Saudi Pro League after six matches, behind Al Hilal only on goal difference.

The skipper Ronaldo has been in good form, scoring three times in five league games.

Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal present a major obstacle in Ronaldo’s bid to win the AFC Champions League for the first time.

Al Hilal were major spenders in the recent transfer window, snapping up Aston Villa’s England striker Ollie Watkins and Brazil winger Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal for a combined $150 million.

Japan threat

The format of the Asian Champions League is heavily skewed in favor of teams from Saudi Arabia, which is spending vast fortunes on football and will host the 2034 World Cup.

Since the 2024-2025 season the competition was rebranded as the Champions League Elite and the quarter-finals, semis and final are held in a centralized location in Saudi Arabia.

Al Ahli made the most of home advantage by winning the title in 2025 and 2026.

An Al Ahli side with England’s Ivan Toney in attack beat Japan’s Machida Zelvia 1-0 in extra time in April’s final on home turf in Jeddah.

Al Nassr, Al Ahli and Al Hilal will be joined in this year’s competition by Al Ittihad and Al Qadsiah, making it a bumper five Saudi sides among the 32 teams.

As in recent years, the competition is divided equally into two leagues of East and West.

Each side will play four matches at home and four away.

The biggest threat to the Saudi stranglehold will likely come from Japan — teams from Asia’s strongest footballing nation have reached the final in each of the last four editions.

There are also five J. League teams, prime among them reigning domestic champions Kashima Antlers.

Former Kashima star Yasushi Endo admitted the Saudi teams would be hard to beat.

“It’s difficult for Japanese teams to be champions these days given the financial strength of teams in the West who can invest heavily in players that traditionally play in strong European leagues,” he said.

“With the tournament being played in a centralized format in the West, it also makes things extra difficult.

“We cannot underplay the importance of having large fan support.”