Saudi side Al Taawoun punished over derogatory Jota chants aimed at Al Hilal's Neves

[p]Jota was killed alongside his brother when the car they were in crashed in Zamora, Spain, in July 2025, in what was news that shook the sporting world. [/p][p]Over one year on from his death, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/al-nassr/h4I89ZuE/"]Al Taawoun[/a] taunted [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/al-hilal/M3ar6nx7/"]Al Hilal[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/neves-ruben/Ea90ReE4/"]Ruben Neves[/a] with chants of Jota’s name as he prepared to take a free-kick. [/p][p]Neves sarcastically applauded and gave a thumbs-up to the supporters before pointing to the sky and his own eye, then pointing in the direction from which the chanting was coming. [/p][p][b]"I just hope they don't go to pray later after what they did," [/b]the midfielder said after the game. [/p][p]Following the game, Al Nassr forward [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ronaldo-cristiano/WGOY4FSt/"]Cristiano Ronaldo[/a] and Jota’s former Portugal teammate called for punishments for the supporters. [/p][embed guid="07dbec75-6e01-4d46-86c1-650496b1ec0e" url="https://x.com/RazedFootball/status/2098852119688397265?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]“The league must take ⁠action and punish this kind of fan behaviour,” [/b]he wrote.[b] “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.“ [/b][/p][p]Now, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has handed Al Taawoun a 100,000 riyals (£20,000) fine alongside an order to play their next two home fixtures behind closed doors. [/p][p]Al Taawoun condemned the behaviour, stating that it does not represent either the club or its fans. The club will now play without fans for the next two games, a punishment that could teach fans a lesson.[/p]