Superstar demands bans after chanting around former Liverpool player

Superstar demands bans after chanting around former Liverpool player Saudi Football Must Act After Ruben Neves Diogo Jota Chants Shame the Game There are moments in sport when rivalry crosses a line so glaringly that the result, the table and the usual theatre of tribalism all become irrelevant. This was one of them. According to The Athletic, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has opened an investigation after Ruben Neves was targeted by chants about his late friend and former team-mate Diogo Jota during Al Hilal’s 6-0 win at Al Taawoun on Saturday. Even in an age when football can feel coarsened by outrage, baiting a man over the death of someone he loved carries a particular ugliness. It strips away the pretence that this is banter, edge or atmosphere. It becomes something meaner, colder and more revealing. If the footage circulating from the stands captured events accurately, then the governing body has little choice but to make an example of those responsible. IMAGO | Anfield Index Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota bond made this especially cruel The report laid out why this hit with such force. Neves and Jota were far more than passing colleagues from the same national team era. They came through key stages of their careers together, from Portugal youth sides to Porto, and then on to Wolverhampton Wanderers, where their families built lives in close proximity. Their friendship endured through club changes, international duty and adulthood. That is why hearing Jota’s name used in this context was so grotesque. Jota died in July 2025, aged 28, in a car crash in Zamora alongside his brother Andre Silva. Neves has carried that loss publicly and privately. He was a pallbearer at the funeral. He has a tattoo commemorating their bond. Portugal later entrusted him with Jota’s old No 21 shirt, a decision framed at the time as fitting recognition of that closeness. When the abuse came from the home end, Neves’ reaction appeared to be one of disbelief and contempt. After the game, he said: “I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did.” It was a cutting response, brief and loaded, the sort that tells you plenty without needing a speech. Saudi Pro League investigation now needs real punishment The strongest immediate intervention came from Cristiano Ronaldo, who urged the authorities to impose the heaviest possible sanctions on those involved. He wrote: “The league must take action and punish this kind of fan behaviour. 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.” Al Hilal echoed that anger and described the chanting as “offensive and unacceptable”, while confirming they had filed a complaint. SAFF followed by saying the relevant committees would take the “necessary action” because the incident was “inconsistent with the values of Saudi football and the principles of sportsmanship”. It added: “SAFF and SPL stress that exploiting personal tragedies for the purpose of abuse or provocation is unacceptable behaviour that has no place in Saudi football. The outcome will be announced upon completion of the relevant process.” Those words are welcome, but football has heard strong words before. The game is littered with statements that sound robust in the moment and fade into procedural fog. If Saudi football wants to demonstrate seriousness, then this cannot conclude with vague education measures or symbolic reprimands. The call for lifetime bans may sound extreme to some, but it reflects the seriousness of the offence. Al Hilal win lost amid disgraceful scenes The bitter irony is that Al Hilal produced an emphatic performance. They won 6-0, Gabriel Martinelli scored a hat-trick and Ollie Watkins added two as Simone Inzaghi’s side moved to the top of the Saudi Pro League with 18 points from seven matches. Al Taawoun, meanwhile, remained mired in trouble near the foot of the table. Yet none of that will be the enduring story. Nor should it be. Football has always relied on noise, hostility and partisanship to fuel its spectacle, but it also relies on basic boundaries. Once supporters decide that bereavement is fair game, they are attacking something more important than an opposing midfielder. They are corroding the common decency that allows the sport to retain its claim to be a communal experience rather than a public sneer. This is why the investigation matters beyond one fixture, one club or one country. Governing bodies often talk grandly about values. Here is a simple chance to prove they mean it. If a line as obvious as this cannot be defended, then the language of respect in football becomes little more than decoration. Our View As Liverpool supporters, this report turns the stomach. Diogo Jota meant far too much to too many people for his name to be dragged into cheap abuse from the stands. There is anger here, of course, but there is also sadness, because every fan should understand that some things are bigger than colours, leagues and rivalries. Jota gave everything to the clubs and team-mates he represented, and he carried himself with class. To see his memory used as a weapon against one of his closest friends is absolutely disgraceful. Ruben Neves should never have been put in that position, standing over a dead-ball and hearing the name of someone he loved turned into ammunition. Liverpool fans know what loss does to a football family. We know how a player can become part of your life, your memories, your weekends, your conversations at home and in the pub. So when somebody takes that grief and tries to turn it into a chant, it deserves more than a carefully worded statement. It deserves proper punishment. If Saudi football is serious, ban the offenders and make it clear this filth will not be tolerated again. Anything softer will look spineless. Some lines cannot be blurred. This is one of them. Source: Athletic