Mexico's football federation has lost its latest appeal against Fifa punishments for an anti-gay chant by fans, just days before the World Cup opens in Mexico City.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) upheld fines totalling 140,000 Swiss francs ($178,000) but lifted a partial stadium closure sanction.
This ruling, part of a decade-long series of disputes between Mexico and Fifa, comes ahead of the men's national team hosting South Africa on 11 June at the iconic Azteca Stadium, a venue where the offensive chant is frequently heard.
The one-word slur, meaning "male prostitute" in Spanish, is typically directed at opposing goalkeepers during goal kicks. It gained notoriety at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and reappeared in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022, despite the federation's educational campaigns and pleas to control the abuse.
The Cas case followed Fifa prosecutions for incidents at 2024 matches against Bolivia, Uruguay, Brazil, and the United States. Anti-discrimination monitors, who will also work for FIFA at the 104 World Cup games across Mexico, the US, and Canada, detected the chant during these fixtures.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) upheld fines totalling 140,000 Swiss francs ($178,000) but lifted a partial stadium closure sanction.
This ruling, part of a decade-long series of disputes between Mexico and Fifa, comes ahead of the men's national team hosting South Africa on 11 June at the iconic Azteca Stadium, a venue where the offensive chant is frequently heard.
The one-word slur, meaning "male prostitute" in Spanish, is typically directed at opposing goalkeepers during goal kicks. It gained notoriety at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and reappeared in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022, despite the federation's educational campaigns and pleas to control the abuse.
The Cas case followed Fifa prosecutions for incidents at 2024 matches against Bolivia, Uruguay, Brazil, and the United States. Anti-discrimination monitors, who will also work for FIFA at the 104 World Cup games across Mexico, the US, and Canada, detected the chant during these fixtures.
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