The FIFA disciplinary commission has imposed sanctions on Mexico on account of homophobic chants that were heard in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament. The President of the Mexico Football Federation (FMF) on Friday urged Mexican fans to cease all anti-gay slurs.

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Mexico will have to play two home games in empty stadiums and pay a fine of around $65,000. The sanctions are linked in particular to Mexico’s games against the Dominican Republic and the United States, FMF president Yon de Luisa confirmed.

The qualifiers were held in March at the Akron and Jalisco stadiums in Guadalajara in western Mexico.

“We have received a sanction from FIFA for the shouts heard during the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games,” de Luisa told reporters.

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“We must stop this now. The effect can be devastating for the Mexican football industry. Let it be the last sanction that FIFA gives us,” de Luisa added. 

De Luisa said that if the chants continued Mexico was in danger of being disqualified from the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and losing its role as joint host of the 2026 World Cup.

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Since the early 2000s, Mexican fans have been chanting “puto”, Spanish for male sex worker, to intimidate the opponent goalkeeper. FIFA had issued 11 disciplinary actions on Mexico over homophobic cries during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, The Guardian reports.