Mexico soccer authorities are taking action to stop a fans’ chant that has been causing international controversy and penalties for the national team for a few years.

The national soccer team has received 14 sanctions for fans calling out “Eh puto,” an offensive way of referring to a gay man, over the last several years, including a fine of 600,000 pesos (US $30,000) during the Copa América in 2016, and another when the chant was heard during Mexico’s surprise 1-0 victory against Germany in the 2018 World Cup.

The International Association of Association Football (FIFA) recently announced that in addition to fines there will be other penalties: the first time the chant is heard, the game will be stopped for five or 10 minutes; the second time, the players will be go to the locker rooms; and the third time, the game will continue but Mexican fans will not be allowed to attend the next local game.

The first game where the new rules will apply will be a qualifying match between Mexico and Panama at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on October 15.

Mexican Football Federation president Yon de Luisa said the FIFA penalties could get tougher in the future if Mexico fails to stop the chant, and could include bans on the national team playing in certain stadiums or even expulsion from tournaments.

De Luisa and Enrique Bonilla, president of the Liga Mx, announced a series of actions that Mexican football authorities will be taking to eradicate the chant.

First, they will attempt to raise awareness among fans about the penalties that could be imposed and remove fans who chant the phrase and try to prevent them from returning.

The Liga Mx will also apply the same non-monetary penalties as FIFA for games in the league. The new policy will be applied at matches starting on October 4.

Source: Milenio (sp)