Mexico could be sanctioned after their fans chanted anti-gay slurs during Thursday’s Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League semi-final against the US.
The United States men’s national soccer team emerged victorious with a 3-0 win over Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal.
Fans chanted “puto” as United States goalkeeper Matt Turner kicked the ball across the field.
The word “puto” means “male prostitute,” but in Mexican Spanish, it roughly translates as “faggot,” according to Yahoo Sports.
The misconduct escalated to the point where Barton handed out four red cards and dealt with debris thrown onto the field. To quote Cesar Hernandez from ESPN, the play was initially halted in the 89th minute to activate the anti-discrimination protocol.
An unambiguous warning was announced to the crowd, indicating the possibility of an early abandonment of the match should such behavior continue.
Despite the caution, chants were again directed at US goalkeeper Matt Turner during a goal kick, with only four minutes left of the 12-minute stoppage time.
Referee Ivan Barton stopped the game early in response to repeated anti-gay chants from the crowd.
The #USAvMEX match has been suspended as Mexico fans refused to stop chanting a gay slur.
THANK YOU! Now ban Mexico from playing in the United States for the next 2 years.https://t.co/wtWKxvpRWO
— Cyd Zeigler (@CydZeigler) June 16, 2023
Yahoo Sport reported:
CONCACAF issued a statement after the game at the Allegiant Stadium, which was won 3-0 by the United States saying they “strongly condemned” what it called “discriminatory chanting”.
“Chants heard during the game led to the activation of the anti-discrimination protocol by the match officials. Additionally, security staff ejected several fans for engaging in unacceptable behaviour in the stadium,” said the confederation, which governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
“These incidents were extremely disappointing and tarnished what should have been a positive occasion to showcase high-quality football in our region,” the statement added.
“The Confederation is in the process of urgently establishing further details and reports from security and match officials and will make a further statement in short order”.
