Mexico’s World Cup campaign opened with a convincing 3-0 win over Czechia on June 25. The scoreline, though, is not what has FIFA reaching for its rulebook.
Fans inside Estadio Azteca were heard chanting “puto,” a homophobic slur directed at opposing goalkeepers during goal kicks, at least three times during the match. One particularly clear instance came around the 40th minute, when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar stepped up for a goal kick and thousands of voices rang out in unison.
A 25-year problem that fines haven’t fixed
The chant has been a fixture of Mexican soccer culture for roughly a quarter century, and FIFA has tried just about everything short of a tournament ban to stamp it out.
The Mexican Football Federation, known as the FMF, has already paid dearly for its fans’ behavior. FIFA previously levied fines totaling 140,000 Swiss francs, roughly $178,000, for prior chanting incidents. Cumulative penalties over the years have reached an estimated 10 million Mexican pesos.
