MOSCOW: Mexico have become the first federation contesting the Confederations Cup to be rapped over the knuckles over fan misbehaviour.
All delegations were warned before the start of the warm-up tournament in Russia for next year’s World Cup that monitors would be present at all matches to check crowd incidents.
Homophobic abuse was apparently heard and reported from Mexico’s opening 2-2 draw with Portugal in Kazan on Sunday.
FIFA has said that disciplinary chairman Anin Yeboah “decided to impose a warning on the Mexican Football Federation for the misconduct of a small group of Mexican fans in relation to insulting and discriminatory chants.”
Mexico is one of a number of Latin American nations whose fans have been under increasing scrutiny for homophobic and other abusive chanting during matches.
Fans of El Tri have long shouted an insult at keepers taking goal kicks which gay rights groups argue is homophobic.
Mexican media said the chant was heard again on Sunday when Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio took goal kicks, though on a smaller scale than in the past.
The Mexican federaton, in a statement directed at fans, said: “As you know, FIFA is very serious about the chanting that we do when the goalkeeper takes a kick, and the possible sanctions are serious.
“Our efforts on the pitch will come to nothing if, because of this (behaviour), we lose the match, the game is suspended or you are expelled from the stadium. We lose, you lose, everyone loses.”
Mexico have already been fined eight times during the course of the World Cup qualifying competition because of homophobic chanting.
The matches in question were at home and away to El Salvador, home and away to Canada, at home to Honduras, away to the United States, and at home to Panama and Costa Rica in a period starting in November 2015 until this March.
#############