Saudi club given stadium ban over Jota chants

Ruben Neves has a tattoo of him and Diogo Jota hugging on his left leg [Getty Images] Saudi Pro League side Al-Taawoun have been ordered to play two home league matches behind closed doors after their supporters taunted Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves over the death of his friend and team-mate Diogo Jota. Al-Taawoun have also been fined 100,000 Saudi Riyals (£20,000). Liverpool forward Jota died in a car crash at the age of 28 in July last year and was a close friend of midfielder Neves, having played alongside him for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portugal. Neves also now wears the number 21 shirt for Portugal in Jota's memory, and has a tattoo on his calf of him and Jota embracing. He was also a pallbearer at Jota's funeral. Supporters targeted Neves before his side's 6-0 win on Saturday by repeatedly shouting "Jota" at him. After the match, Neves told reporters: "I just hope they don't go to pray later after what they did." Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia and was an international team-mate of Jota, called for lifetime bans to be issued to the chanting fans. In a statement, Al-Taawoun said: "Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and does not represent the club, its fans, or the values ​​for which the club is known. "Sports competition cannot be a justification for insulting, belittling, or bullying others at the expense of anyone's feelings." Follow your club with BBC Sport Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone