The USA versus Mexico clash in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals ended shockingly. The match, where the USMNT was winning 3-0, was brought to an abrupt end twice. In what was a grueling encounter, as many as four red cards were handed out in the match. The match official, Ivan Barton, sent off the USMNT’s Weston McKinnie and Sergino Dest and Mexico’s César Montes and Gerardo Arteaga.
Surprisingly, the red cards were not the most disturbing event during yesterday’s match. During the match, anti-gay slurs were chanted, which led to the referee temporarily stopping the game in the 89th minute. Although the referee resumed the match later, he ultimately ended it with four minutes left in stoppage time. As per ESPN, the decision to end the match prematurely was the referee’s decision and not CONCACAF’s.
While the match was temporarily stopped yesterday, the giant screen in the stadium displayed a message warning the fans of being ejected from the stadium. However, one fan sarcastically reacted to the message on Twitter, writing in Spanish, “Si ponen ‘el que grite puto lo deportamos’ se acaba el desvergue.” The translated version of the text in English reads, “If they put ‘whoever yells, we’ll deport him,’ the shamelessness ends.“
Si ponen “el que grite puto lo deportamos” se acaba el desvergue pic.twitter.com/gVRmS19Eu7
— Liga MX Shitposting (@LMXChipotle) June 16, 2023
The word “puto” mentioned in the fan’s message is a masculine form of the multi-functional Spanish puta, meaning “prostitute.” The word is also often used as a racial or homophobic slur for a male s*x worker. The message was a thinly veiled sarcastic dig at the long-standing deportation issue between the American and Mexican authorities.
Mexico fans have been previously accused of chanting homophobic slurs
Despite the shocking incidents during yesterday’s USA versus Mexico clash, it’s not the first time that it has happened. The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has struggled for a long time to contain the anti-discriminatory chants from fans. The homophobic slurs are chanted by fans, especially when the opposition goalkeepers take the goal kicks.
FIFA has forced Mexico to play two more World Cup qualifiers behind closed doors due to anti-gay chants during their games in October.
Mexico fans had previously been banned in June and have since been punished again after the chants continued in recent matches. pic.twitter.com/O0Xb6wJcy0
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 1, 2021
FIFA also fined the FMF $108,000 for the anti-gay chants by Mexican fans during the World Cup 2022. Moreover, the FMF had also stated earlier this year that any fan found guilty of chanting anti-gay slurs would be handed a five-year stadium ban. Liga MX has also implemented Fan ID technology to register the supporters attending the games following the violent riot from last year’s Liga MX match between Queretaro and Atlas.
In addition to this, FIFA also reportedly issued 51 disciplinary actions over homophobic actions during the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. These sanctions were also handed to the federations of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Mexico, and Peru. Later on, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Greece, Hungary, and Serbia were also served with sanctions for anti-gay slurs.