Riyadh: The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has mandated that Al Taawoun play its next two Saudi Pro League home matches without spectators and imposed a fine of 100,000 riyals ($26,660) on the club. This decision follows chants by Al Taawoun supporters referencing the late Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota during a recent match.

According to Anadolu Agency, the incident took place on Saturday during Al Taawoun's match against Al Hilal, which ended in a 6-0 victory for Al Hilal at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. The SAFF and Saudi Pro League issued a statement on Sunday labeling the chants as 'unacceptable' and inconsistent with the principles of Saudi football and sportsmanship.

The statement emphasized that using personal tragedies to 'incite or provoke others' is not tolerated in Saudi football. Diogo Jota and his younger brother, Andre Silva, were tragically killed in a car crash in Spain in July 2025.

Ruben Neves, a midfielder for Al Hilal and Portugal international, who was a close friend and former teammate of Jota, displayed his displeasure during the match by applauding sarcastically and gesturing toward the sky. Neves, who served as a pallbearer at Jota's funeral, expressed his dismay by stating, 'I just hope they don't go to pray later after what they did.'

Portugal's captain Cristiano Ronaldo also expressed his disapproval of the incident. He used social media to call for action against such behavior in the league.