Oh boy, Mexico's in big trouble for this one.
Fans in the country, believe it or not, have a truly bad habit of chanting "puto" (translated roughly to "male prostitute") at the opposing goalie, and somehow this is considered anti-LGBTQETC.
Seriously, this is what makes the news these days.
I gotta quote you some of this reporting from AP, cuz it's just hilarious to get the tone from our woke journalists.
It's no wild guess that the chant, a one-word slur which literally means male prostitute in Spanish, will be heard from the crowd in Guadalajara's Akron stadium when Mexico hosts the United States in a friendly on Tuesday.
Multiple sanctions from FIFA and campaigns by Mexican soccer officials to educate fans have not been able to stamp it out. The chant persists in both club and national team soccer in Mexico, not least in games between the two North American rivals who will co-host the 2026 World Cup together with Canada.
I wonder why those campaigns haven't worked to "stamp out" the chant. It's almost like the term isn't strictly homophobic (essentially harmless) and Mexicans just chant it for fun to trash-talk the opposing goalie.
Mexico has been told to get it together before the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in North America.
'It's clearly homophobic because you are degrading a person with an insult of sexual and negative connotation,' said Andoni Bello, an LGBTQ+ activist and outspoken critic of the chant who played for Mexico in amateur soccer tournaments organized by the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association.
He said Mexico must get rid of the chant by the 2026 World Cup when the world's eyes will be on the country. Mexico is set to host 13 World Cup games, including four in Guadalajara.
According to the AP, the Mexican soccer team has been forced to end games early due to the slur, and the Mexican soccer Federation has been fined on several occasions for this slur, including a $114,000 fine for just two incidents during the 2022 World Cup.
Oh, for context: The 2022 World Cup was held in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison.
So, needless to say, I'm looking forward to that match tonight in Guadalajara.
