Mexican Football Federation 'strongly condemns' homophobic chant after USMNT match
The Mexican Football Federation "strongly condemns" the fans that took part in homophobic chants during Thursday night’s Nations League semifinal loss to the U.S. men, and supports Concacaf "in the implementation of measures and actions to eradicate it."
The statement, released before the Mexican men's national team's faced Panama in the third-place matchup on Sunday, came after Thursday's match at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, as the 3-0 U.S. win ended early. The homophobic chant was constantly shouted during the match, and with 12 minutes of stoppage time left, referee Iván Barton ended the match in the eighth added minute because of the persistent shouting of the slur.
Mexico statement
The federation said it made "significant efforts" to eradicate the chant since 2018, including implementing a five-year ban last year on anyone caught yelling it. But with the chaos of its recent match, the federation reiterated its "zero tolerance" policy on those that yell the chant, with an increased effort in preventing it from being said on Sunday.
"The Federation unreservedly supports communication efforts to avoid and eradicate discriminatory shouting, promoting a cultural change in this regard in stadiums in Mexico and the United States," the statement read.
"That is why at all times it will condemn expressions, such as those that occurred during the semifinal of the CONCACAF League of Nations between Mexico and the United States, and will encourage the activation of protocols by referees and security personnel during the following matches."
OPINION: FIFA needs to step up, take real action against Mexico fans for homophobic slur
FIFA protocol
Currently, FIFA has a three-step protocol when "to pursue a zero-tolerance policy towards racist and discriminatory incidents" in soccer. The process, which includes constant in-stadium announcements, is:
- Stop the match
- Suspend the match and send players to locker rooms
- Abandon and end match