Mexican fans cheer their team on before the Copa America match with Chile.
Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Mexico fans don't have much to cheer about these days, but even days after a devastating loss to Chile in the Copa America, there are calls for Mexican soccer fans to change the way they cheer.
León Krauze is a Mexican journalist and news anchor at KMEX, Univision's station in Los Angeles. He's written an op-ed for the Washington Post explaining why its time for a certain homophobic chant to stop:
As a lifelong Mexican soccer fan who has heard and spewed his share of insults, I am not sure whether the crowd’s behavior is truly driven by a desire to dispute the opposing goalkeeper’s sexual orientation. Still, the hypothetically harmless nature of the mob’s motives is not enough to defend the chant. What matters is not the chant’s cause but its pernicious and painful effect. It has no place in soccer, and FIFA should do all it can to force Mexican fans to stop their annoying routine, including imposing the empty venue penalty or even more severe sanctions, such as banning Mexico from future international competitions.
The chant in question is a slang term that translates to a homophobic slur for a gay man. Univision released this disclaimer video in response to criticism of the soccer fans.
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