Homophobic Chants by Mexican Football Fans Lead to Fan-less Games
The Mexican football team faces a fan-less future, at least in two upcoming games due to anti-gay chants by fans, The Hill reports.
"Mexico's national team will play its first two World Cup qualifying home matches without fans after�spectators yelled an anti-gay chant in March during the pre-Olympic tournament in Guadalajara," reports The Hill.
FIFA, the international organization that oversees the sport, also fined the Mexican Football Association 60,000 Swiss francs ($65,000) fine. "Mexican fans persist in aiming the chant at opposing teams' goalkeepers despite regular FIFA fines and efforts by the FA to curb the insults," reported the Associated Press.
"The impetus for FIFA's actions centered around actions by fans during�two Olympic qualifying games in March. The chant, the well-known and infamous anti-gay slur�'puto', has been heard continuously at recent matches, including from visiting Mexico fans at the�CONCACAF Nations League semifinals and finals in Denver. The chant was so frequent in Mexico's shootout win over Costa Rica on June 3 that the match was temporarily stopped," writes Outsports.
Mexico's national federation was also�fined 12 times during the 2018 World Cup qualifying process and during the World Cup finals in Russia.
"In response, the Mexican Football Federation has attempted to reach fans directly through announcements at the stadiums. This year, the national federation also initiated a social media-based ad campaign through the twin themes of support and tradition," adds Outsports.
The Mexico Football Federation (FMF) issued a statement by its FMF President Yon de Luisa said that those "future penalties�could include possible disqualification from the 2022 World Cup and Mexico losing the opportunity to host matches of the 2026 World Cup alongside the U.S. and Canada," Outsports reports.
"I want to make a call for reflection to all Mexican supporters, so that they understand the meaning and scope of this type of attitudes, which, inevitably, cause us to distance ourselves from each other, even to the point of missing an international competition, with everything important ahead," said De Luisa.