Saudi Pro League side Al-Taawoun have been ordered to play their next two home league matches behind closed doors and fined 100,000 Saudi Riyals (£20,000) after their supporters taunted Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves with chants about the death of his close friend, Diogo Jota.
According to BBC Sport, the punishment followed an incident during Al-Taawoun's 6-0 defeat by Al-Hilal on Saturday, when supporters repeatedly chanted the name of Jota at Neves.
Jota, the former Liverpool and Portugal forward, died in a car crash at the age of 28 last July.
Neves and Jota developed a close friendship during their time together at Wolverhampton Wanderers and with the Portugal national team.
The Al-Hilal midfielder has since worn Portugal's number 21 shirt in Jota's memory and has a tattoo on his calf depicting the two players embracing. He was also among the pallbearers at Jota's funeral.
Neves expressed his anger over the chants after the match.
“I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did,” he told reporters.
The incident also drew condemnation from Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota's former Portugal teammate and current Al-Nassr forward. Ronaldo called for the supporters responsible to be given lifetime bans.
Al-Taawoun condemned the behaviour and said the chants did not reflect the club or its supporters.
“Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and does not represent the club, its fans, or the values for which the club is known,” the club said in a statement.
“Sports competition cannot be a justification for insulting, belittling, or bullying others at the expense of anyone’s feelings.”
The league's disciplinary action will force Al-Taawoun to host two league fixtures without spectators, while the club will also pay the financial penalty.
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