“Eeeeh, fucking!” (“hey the whore!”): the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) is taking radical measures to put an end to this cry described as homophobic in the stadiums, directed in particular at clearances by the opposing goalkeeper, which has already earned him several FIFA sanctions .
The ‘Tri’ -the Mexican team- faces Panama this Wednesday behind almost closed doors of some 2,000 people, against Costa Rica on Sunday (0-0), at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City (87,000 people).
Therefore, the FMF is testing a device to easily identify and penalize homophobic supporters, with a QR code on the tickets.
Spectators must now reserve their seats online and present an identity document with their tickets at the entrance to the stadiums, the FMF announced in mid-January. Additional security officers are also deployed to identify and evacuate supporters who commit any discriminatory act. The sanction: five years without being able to enter.
The first test, on March 24 in the match against the United States
The device will be tested in a higher gauge of 35,000 to 40,000 people on March 24 during the game against the United States, potentially decisive in the race for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (Mexico is third and the United States, second).
Mexico had already paid a fine and played behind closed doors in September against Jamaica by decision of FIFA. In total, the FMF received 17 fines totaling $656,400. “We can’t tolerate discriminatory acts, we can’t play in empty stadiums, we can’t run the risk of football authorities taking points away from us,” said FMF president Yon de Luisa. He is also concerned about the image of Mexico, co-organizer of the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Canada.
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