Mexico fans use a homophobic chant during the World Cup match against Ecuador

Mexican fans used a homophobic chant during the World Cup match against Ecuador on Tuesday, marking the second such incident in the tournament. The chant, which occurred in the first half, has previously resulted in fines for the Mexican Federation from FIFA. The match takes place amid severed diplomatic relations between Mexico and Ecuador since April 2024.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready...MEXICO CITY AP — Mexican fans used a chant considered homophobic in the first half of the match against Ecuador on Tuesday night in the World Cup round of 32 match. The chant, a one-word slur that means male prostitute in Spanish, usually occurs when the opposing goalkeeper is taking a goal kick. The fans did it at the five minute mark when Hernán Galíndez was doing his first goal kick of the match. It is the second time in the tournament that fans used the chant, which has cost the Mexican Federation several fines by FIFA. The chant originated during a match between Mexico and the United States in an Olympic Games qualifying tournament held in Guadalajara, but it went viral at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. There has been a tense atmosphere since before the first whistle. Mexico fans gathered late last night https://apnews.com/article/mexico-ecuador-world-cup-serenade-1e194494bead5ec3fa2ea643e7ad51f8 and into the early hours of Tuesday outside of Ecuador’s hotel in Mexico City where they used horns, drums, motorcycles and cars, alongside DJ’s to make noise for their rivals. The tension between the fan bases reflects a deeper geopolitical rift. Diplomatic relations between the two nations have been severed since April 2024 https://apnews.com/article/mexico-ecuador-diplomatic-crisis-de5aa3a638b54fdfa3474c8ee25ca57e , when Ecuadorian police raided the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been granted political asylum there. While Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa recently expressed a willingness to mend ties, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated last Monday that she would not discuss the matter until after the high-stakes match concluded.