Despite facing repeated warnings, Mexico’s soccer federation has once again failed to regulate fans from using discriminative slurs in matches.
It has unfortunately become a tradition for Mexican soccer fans to chant an anti-gay slur during goal kicks taken by the opposition team. Repeated disciplinary steps have been taken against the practice over the years, but the chant is only becoming increasingly popular.
The problematic chant has plagued Mexican national team games, whether it is at home or away. The latest usage of the slur was heard at the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League semifinal played between USA and Mexico.
As the chant worsened during the game, the referee was forced to take extreme action against the Mexican team.
What did Mexico Chant at the Game Against the USA?
Mexican fans at the recent 2023 CONCACAF Nations League game repeatedly chanted an anti-gay slur, ‘puto.’ The word can mean ‘gay prostitute’ and is often used as a slur against homosexual men.
As the word was chanted in the game, it took the connotation of calling the opposite team weak or contemptible. Chanting of the term has become like a plague in games against the Mexican team.
The practice first started in the early 2000s. It was even used in the 2004 Olympic qualifier between the USA and Mexico. It is meant to intimidate the opposition.
It is up to debate that due to the multicultural roots of the word, it might not have a homophobic connotation when used in games. However, there is no going around the fact that it is still a derogatory word that should be avoided to show a nominal amount of respect in a match.
Authorities are currently trying to put measures in place to stop the chanting of the offensive word.
Why Was the Mexico Vs. USA Game Stopped?
Mexican fans at the CONCACAF Nations League match started chanting a homophobic slur against the US team in the first half of the game. The crowd was warned in the 13th minute of the game.
This deescalated the chants, but it made a reemergence during the game. As the USA team was crushing the Mexico team by 3-0, the chants became more aggressive.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner was met with the loudest chant towards the end of the game, as the Mexico fans were frustrated at the imminent defeat. It was only in the 89th minute of the game that the referee used the third protocol.
An extra 12 minutes were added as the match resumed, but they could only get through seven of them before the match had to be abandoned altogether.
CONCACAF later issued a statement condemning discriminatory chanting in the game. They clarified that the slurs led to the activation of the anti-discrimination protocol. In fact, several fans were also ejected for engaging in the behavior.
Measures Taken Against Offensive Mexican Chant at Soccer Games
In 2019, FIFA introduced a three-step protocol in case any discriminatory incident occurs. The first step is to stop the match and warn the fans. If the discriminatory act, like chanting offensive terms, continues, the match can be suspended, and players can be moved to the bench.
The third and final step includes abandonment of the match, which happened at the Mexico Vs. USA CONCACAF Nations League semifinal game. In 2022, the Mexican federation threatened that any fans who were caught in such a hostile act would be banned from matches for up to five years.
Some cities and stadiums have seen the effect of the protocols, but fans are still adamant about using the chant. Now that severe steps are being taken against the Mexican team, authorities hope it will discourage fans from self-sabotaging the team.
Mexico has faced several fines and disciplinary bans in the past years, and we hope that fans will realize their behavior is unacceptable. Did you catch the latest game of USA vs Mexico? What do you think of the match getting stopped due to disrespecting fans? Comment down below what you thought as a soccer fan.
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