Mexico fans en masse yet again couldn’t help themselves from using anti-gay chants to demean American players.
The CONCACAF Nations League Championship Game was paused multiple times because many Mexico fans insisted on using the homophobic language.
It’s seemingly become a badge of honor for some Mexico fans, forcing their team’s matches to be stopped. CONCACAF said in a statement many of those fans were removed from the stadium.
They cherish the moment.
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly playbook is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
The homophobic chant rained down on USMNT goalie Matt Turner last night, as it has in the past. Turner has spoken out against the anti-gay language.
“It goes against everything we stand for,” Turner has said.
He won the “best goalkeeper” award for the tournament.
US Soccer, Mexico Soccer and CONCACAF all culpable
US Soccer and CONCACAF continue in their utter failure to protect Turner, his teammates and fans from the chant. US Soccer’s own policy has stated that Mexico should already be banned from American soil. They refuse to follow their own policy.
For its part, Mexico soccer continues to fight the sanctions levied against it for failing to stop the chant.
While some people claim “puto” is not anti-gay, it is clearly homophobic in its origin and nature. Mexico fans have been educated about this, and it is their choice to continue the chant.
Of course, CONCACAF released a meaningless, toothless statement patting itself on the back for following its own policies. Even if those policies have lead to no erasure of the chant.
Of course, as Outsports has said for years, this will not stop until CONCACAF and FIFA remove World Cup points from Mexico, bar Mexico from competing the World Cup, and/or remove 2026 World Cup matches from Mexico.
Pausing the match, or even suspending the match as has also happened, isn’t going to cut it. The Mexico fans have made that clear.
With the World Cup headed south of the border, the fans have made it clear they will mar Mexico matches during the tournament.
