Mexico fined for homophobic chant

SOCHi: Mexican striker Javier Hernandez has appealed to his country’s football fans to stop their homophobic chanting at World Cup matches, on a day when FIFA once again fined the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) for their fans’ misconduct.

FIFA slapped the Mexicans with a CHF10,000 (RM40,250) fine for what it called “discriminatory and insulting chants” during their surprise 1-0 win over Germany on Sunday.

Mexicans have long shouted a slang word for a male sex worker at games, which gay rights groups argue is homophobic.

The FMF were sanctioned 12 times for homophobic chanting during the World Cup qualifying campaign, receiving warnings for the first two offences and fines for 10 more.

Hernandez posted a message on Instagram on Wednesday asking fans to end the derogatory chant that is usually shouted during their opponents’ goal kicks.

“To all Mexican fans in the stadiums, don’t shout ‘Puto’,” Hernandez said. “Let’s not risk another sanction.”

Although the Mexican team has appealed before for an end to the chants – the players even released a video on the subject in 2016 – some supporters have not relented.

The chant was widely heard at Mexico games in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when FIFA took no action, but the governing body has since launched a clamp-down. Other Latin American teams, including Argentina and Chile, have also been fined.