Saudi Pro League club Al-Taawoun have been ordered to play two home league matches behind closed doors after supporters taunted Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves with chants about the death of his close friend and former teammate Diogo Jota.

As reported by BBC Sport on Thursday, Al-Taawoun have also been fined 100,000 Saudi Riyals (£20,000) over the incident.

Supporters repeatedly shouted “Jota” at Neves before Al-Hilal’s 6–0 victory on Saturday.

The chants referred to Jota, the Liverpool and Portugal forward who died in a car crash at the age of 28 last July.

Jota and Neves were close friends after playing together at Wolverhampton Wanderers and for Portugal.

Neves now wears the number 21 shirt for Portugal in Jota’s memory and has a tattoo on his calf showing the pair embracing.

He was also a pallbearer at Jota’s funeral.

After the match, Neves condemned the supporters’ behaviour.

“I just hope they don’t go to pray later after what they did,” he told reporters.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi club Al-Nassr and was an international teammate of Jota, had also reacted strongly to the incident.

The five-time ballon D’or winner called for lifetime bans to be issued to the chanting fans

The Saudi Pro League’s decision means Al-Taawoun will serve two home-match stadium closures in addition to the financial penalty.

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.”

Source: punchng.com

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France winger Allan Saint-Maximin has revealed that he left Club América after his children were subjected to racist abuse while attending school in Mexico.

The French winger said he felt it was important to speak out against discrimination rather than remain silent, particularly when his family was affected.

“Whatever your colour is, you don’t have to accept this,” Saint-Maximin told BBC Sport on Friday.

The 29-year-old, who is now with Charlotte FC, previously made his feelings clear in an Instagram post in January, stating that “hatred and discrimination have no place in our society.”

The post received more than 159,000 likes, including support from former Newcastle United teammates Kieran Trippier and Joelinton.

Saint-Maximin did not provide specific details about what happened to his children but said “some stuff happened with my kids in the school” during his time at Club América.

“I explained to the kids what happened was not normal and they knew already,” he said. “They were not really happy about that.”

The incident was particularly difficult for Saint-Maximin because it involved his family, although he acknowledged that racism and discrimination can happen anywhere.

“I was a bit sad about my son, but in every place there is these type of things, even in France, the country where I am from,” he said. “As I said to them, it’s something they don’t have to accept.”

Club América publicly expressed its support for Saint-Maximin and his family, while his teammates showed their solidarity by holding a “No to racism” banner before a match against Necaxa.

Saint-Maximin stressed that his decision was not a criticism of the Mexican club.

“It was not the fault of Club América,” he said. “I have nothing against them, the players or the Mexican people. I love the club. It was one of the best places I’ve been with my family.”

However, the father of four said there was little choice when his children’s wellbeing was involved.

“When this affects your kids there are not many choices to take. It was a difficult choice for me and my family, but I take my responsibility because I always say I will never accept stuff like this,” he said.

For Saint-Maximin, standing up against racism was more important than protecting his career opportunities.

“It was important to show to people, especially in my situation, that I can lose a lot of things, but I will never accept this,” he said.

After leaving Mexico, Saint-Maximin joined Lens on a short-term deal and helped the club win the French Cup for the first time in its 120-year history and finish second in Ligue 1.

Despite receiving several offers in the summer, he eventually chose Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC, describing the move as a decision made with his family in mind.

“My family have always followed me to every single place. So this time was more of a family choice,” he said.

At Charlotte, Saint-Maximin has reunited with former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith and hopes to build a lasting legacy while helping those around him improve.

He also wants to entertain supporters and remain true to his creative style.

“To see some robot play doesn’t make sense to me,” he said.

Source: punchng.com

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Brazil have begun rebuilding after their disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign, with Carlo Ancelotti recalling Chelsea striker Pedro and Barcelona captain Raphinha for friendlies against Australia and India.

PUNCH Online reported Wednesday that the first international break of the 2026/27 football season runs from September 21 to October 6, 2026.

This is an extended “XL” window (about 16 days / three weeks of calendar time) in which national teams can play up to four matches, instead of the usual two.

FIFA combined the traditional separate September and October breaks into one longer period.

In the Premier League (and most major European leagues), club football pauses after Matchweek 5 (fixtures around 19–20 September) and resumes with Matchweek 6 around 10 October.

Raphinha missed the World Cup through injury, while Pedro was among the notable forwards left out of the tournament squad.

Their return headlines an otherwise youthful Brazil squad announced by the Brazilian Football Confederation on Wednesday as Ancelotti begins a new cycle following the five-time world champions’ underwhelming campaign.

Neymar, who indicated his international retirement after the World Cup, is no longer part of the squad, while Ancelotti has also opened the door to a number of emerging players.

ESPN reported on Wednesday that the 26-man squad includes Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Endrick, Chelsea’s Estêvão, Tottenham forward Rayan, Chelsea striker João Pedro and Atlético Madrid forward Samuel Lino.

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães, Marquinhos and Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimarães are among the more established players retained for the new cycle.

The squad also features eight players who were not part of Brazil’s World Cup group, including goalkeeper Pedro Morisco, defenders Arthur Dias and Jair, midfielder Breno Bidon and Gabriel Bontempo.

Ancelotti said the friendlies would provide an opportunity to assess younger players as Brazil look towards their next major tournaments.

“With these three friendly matches, we will begin a new cycle to project the National Team towards the goals of the coming years, which are the 2028 Copa América and the 2030 World Cup,” Ancelotti said, according to the Brazilian federation’s website.

“We will take advantage of these three friendlies to call up new players for the National Team, especially young players, who can showcase their talent in the coming years.”

Raphinha’s return is particularly notable after the Barcelona forward was ruled out of Brazil’s World Cup campaign with a hamstring injury.

The forward had been expected to play a key role for Ancelotti but was forced to miss the tournament after sustaining the injury during Brazil’s preparations.

Pedro, meanwhile, gets another opportunity with the national team after missing out on the World Cup squad.

Brazil will play Australia twice during the international break, first on September 25 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville and again on September 29 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

They will then face India at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on October 3.

The Brazil-India fixture will be their first meeting at senior international level, while Brazil’s last encounter with Australia came in June 2017, when they won 4-0 in Melbourne through goals from Diego Souza, Thiago Silva and Taison.

The Brazilian federation had earlier announced another Asian tour for November, when Ancelotti’s side will face Japan on November 14 and Singapore on November 17.

The fixtures give Ancelotti his first opportunity to shape Brazil’s new-look side after the World Cup, with Pedro and Raphinha among the familiar names returning and a new generation beginning to emerge.

Subsequent breaks in the 2026/27 season are scheduled for: 9–17 November 2026 (standard two-match window) and; 22–30 March 2027 (standard two-match window)

This change was introduced partly due to the late finish of the 2026 World Cup (final on 19 July) and considerations around player welfare and travel.

Notable omissions include Brentford’s Igor Thiago who was at the World Cup alongside Al Hilal New arrival from Arsenal, Gabriel Martinelli.

Source: punchng.com

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