Walid Al-Farraj to Al-Taawoun fans: You have lost your humanity!

What did the famous media figure say?

The fallout from Al-Hilal's clash with Al-Taawoun spilled well beyond the stadium walls. Chants aimed at Portugal's Rúben Neves sparked fierce controversy, above all when supporters repeated the name of his late team-mate Diogo Jota in a bid to unsettle him during the game.

Al-Hilal had thrashed Al-Taawoun 6-0 on Tuesday evening in round 7 of the Roshn Saudi Pro League.

Read also: Video: Neves to Al-Taawoun fans: I hope you don't go to prayer! Media figure Waleed Al-Farraj weighed in on the affair during the programme "Rotana Sport with Waleed". He tore into Al-Taawoun's fans, insisting that sporting rivalry, however fierce, never justifies exploiting the grief of others or toying with their feelings.

Al-Farraj said: "For you to say Ronaldo to Messi, this goes within the competition that exists between them, but to chant at Neves, the Al-Hilal player, with the name of his deceased team-mate Jota, this is an improper act".

"How do you play on people's sorrows in this way? You must have some humanity", he added, a pointed rebuke to the fans who chose the late player's name in their chants at Neves.

His comments landed as the controversy raged on. The chant appeared designed to rattle Neves by dredging up the memory of his late team-mate, and for Al-Farraj that crossed the line of what sporting competition should allow.

Provocation is a known part of the football atmosphere, the Saudi media figure stressed, but he drew a clear distinction. On one side sit rivalry and the usual chants. On the other lies the exploitation of a painful personal tragedy, twisted into a tool to pressure a player on the pitch.