Al-Taawoun punished after fans taunt Ruben Neves over Diogo Jota death
Al-Taawoun will play two home league games behind closed doors after their supporters taunted Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves over the death of Diogo Jota.
The Saudi club have also been fined 100,000 Saudi Riyals, around £20,000. The punishment follows Al-Hilal's 6-0 win on Saturday, when Neves was targeted from the stands, according to BBC Sport.
Neves was standing over a free-kick, a set-piece awarded after a foul, when fans repeatedly shouted "Jota" at him, as reported by USA Today. He paused before he continued. The chanting carried on during the match.
Jota was a Liverpool forward who died in a car crash at the age of 28. He was a close friend of Neves. The two played together for Wolverhampton Wanderers in England and for the Portugal national team.
The loss has stayed with Neves in public. He was a pallbearer at Jota's funeral. He has a tattoo on his calf of the pair embracing, and he now wears the number 21 shirt for Portugal in memory of his friend.
After the final whistle, Neves addressed what had happened. "I just hope they don't go to pray later after what they did," he told reporters. It was a short answer. It said a lot.
Al-Taawoun condemned the behaviour. The club said it was completely unacceptable and does not represent the club, its fans or its values. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal's captain, went further and called for lifetime bans for the fans involved, according to BBC Sport.
Playing behind closed doors means no home supporters will be allowed into the stadium. For a club, it removes the noise and backing that can lift a team. For the fans who did nothing wrong, it means missing two games.
What makes this stand out is how personal it was. Away players are often heckled to put them off. This time the target was not form or a missed chance. It was grief for a friend who died young.
