FIFA launches investigation into Mexico over anti-gay chants
FIFA, the governing body of the World Cup, has launched an investigation into Mexico’s World Cup team and its fans over allegedly chanting an anti-gay slur during its opening match against Germany.
For Mexico, it’s been a veritable emotional roller coaster the past few days.
First, Mexico utilized the services of a “Grand Warlock” to end its bad luck at the World Cup.
With the help of two priestesses and a rain stick shaped like an ancient Mesoamerican god, Mexico's 'Grand Warlock' casts a spell to help the nation at the #WorldCup https://t.co/cqaPJvHYi2 pic.twitter.com/Fl1UyjNEcE
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 14, 2018
From there, Mexico stunned the soccer world by preserving a 1-0 win over the defending World Cup champion Germany.
Whether or not Mexico’s win had anything to do with a “Grand Warlock” is certainly up for debate.
Some have argued that Germany may have accrued some bad karma by poking fun at the polarizing border wall which has become such a hot-button issue.
German newspaper @welt's front page:
"Sorry, Mexico
Today WE build the wall!"#GERMEX #WorldCup #WM2018 #GER #MEX pic.twitter.com/e3dYF7xTIR— 💬 (@omarfoudil) June 17, 2018
What’s not up for debate, however, is that Mexico is in hot water at the World Cup again.
During its stirring upset over Germany, several Mexico fans could allegedly be heard chanting an anti-gay slur at Germany’s goal keeper Manuel Neuer. The incident in question occurred in the first half of the game.
Mexico’s FMF, the main body governing the country’s soccer, confirmed that FIFA was launching an official investigation into the incident, per ESPN.
This is hardly anything new for Mexico. The country’s biggest soccer fans have long had a tradition of yelling a phrase at opposing goal keepers that many have deemed as being anti-gay.
Many of the fans who partake in the chant insist there is no intent to be discriminatory.
FIFA has already fined Mexico and several other Latin American soccer teams on multiple occasions for their fans’ use of the phrase in the World Cup qualifiers leading up to the international event itself.
Some of the fines were ultimately dropped against Mexico, but others were not.
It’s become enough of an issue that the FMF has gone on social media to essentially beg its fans not to use the phrase in question. It tweeted a public service announcement to all of Mexico’s soccer fans ahead of the World Cup that also spelled out the offending word.
It’ll be interesting to see what actions FIFA takes, considering that fining the team really has no impact whatsoever on the fans attending the event. FIFA also has the unenviable task of juggling the responsibilities of handling the Mexico situation without having it completely overshadow its biggest event.
Mexico’s next game in the World Cup will be Saturday, when it plays South Korea.
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