Fans of the Mexican men's soccer team stirred a controversy during the World Cup last summer with chants of "iPuto!"during their team's matches. "Puto" is a word for "male prostitute" that is used as a gay slur.
The Mexico fans were back at it again during the team's 6-0 drubbing of a short-handed Cuba for the Gold Cup last night, chanting the slur multiple times. The game was held at Chicago's Soldier Field.
That’s now five times for the p**o chant, while banners around the stadium tell me embrace diversity. Mmm hmmm.
— Maggie Hendricks (@maggiehendricks) July 10, 2015
In the United States the game was broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and Univision Deportes.
FIFA has said it will do nothing about the homophobic slur, so chances are it will be front-and-center during Mexico's nearly inevitable match against the United States once the single-elimination stage begins. Many Mexico fans are upset that Americans claim the word is a gay slur; They say it's just another word, claiming cultural ignorance.
Last year a Mexican journalist told Outsports that the slur is rooted in homophobia.
"The fact that it's commonly used does not make it innocent," Pepe Flores said. "It's a word that, as predominantly used, carries a specific connotation, one designed to insult and discriminate."
Mexico's next game is against Guatemala at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. This Sunday. Will Mexico fans again be allowed to chant this slur on American soil?
Stay tuned.