Homophobic chanting from Mexico soccer fans at a Copa America match against Ecuador led to fans being removed from the game.
According to LGBTQ Nation, despite three separate warnings, the chanting continued throughout the match. One of the warnings, issued in Spanish, reads, “The referee has indicated that the match could be suspended due to discriminatory behavior among spectators. Discrimination in football stadiums is not tolerated. If this continues, the match will be suspended, and eventually canceled.” However, the chanting continued.
Among fans at the game on June 30, presidential candidate for Mexico, Jorge Maynez was in attendance. Maynez condemned the chant: “The same joy you feel when you are with thousands of Mexicans watching your team turns into shame when you hear this discriminatory cry in Pride month. It is a pride to have this flag. It is a pride to have this shield, but please, let this be the last time that something in favor of discrimination is heard.”
This is not the first time Mexico fans have shouted homophobic slurs at soccer matches. Back in March, the goalkeeper for the U.S. team, Matt Turner, was victim to the chanting. In the last minutes of a match in Arlington, Texas where the U.S. was leading 2-0, Turner ran forward for a goal kick when fans shouted “puto” from the stands. Meanwhile, the same match-up was interrupted at a game in Las Vegas for the same reasons, grinding the game to a halt.
In 2019, FIFA issued a new disciplinary code empowering referees to end matches if fans are chanting homophobic or racist slurs. The code states, “A match is automatically forfeited if the referee decides to suspend it after having applied the three-step procedure.” The three-step procedure described allows referees to stop the match and request a public announcement to be issued; if this is ineffective in ending discriminatory behavior, the referee can then suspend play again before ending the match.
FIFA may issues fines of at least $20,312 for a first offense if football spectators continue to use discriminatory language in their chants. Fines are issued to the club. However, the fine operates as more of a slap on the wrist in terms of punishment due to the amount representing a mere fraction of a team’s overall revenue.
In June 2014, FIFA made claims that “puto” was not a gay slur despite its use among Spanish speakers to mean the same thing as a certain slur in English that we’re all familiar with. Over 20 LGBTQ+ organizations issued a letter to FIFA explaining the inflammatory nature of the chants and how they also undermine inclusivity. And in 2016, Mexico declared the slur discriminatory.
The most effective warning was seen in 2017, when Mexico fans were told, “If they suspend the game or if they expel you from the stadium; we lose; you lose; we all lose.” This resulted in the use of slurs disappearing from the chants.
It turns out, homophobia can be suppressed if it means your team might lose a game of football.
