The Mexican Football Federation is taking steps to discourage the supporters of its national teams from using a discriminatory chant.
The Mexican men’s national team will play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 12 as part of preparatory tour for the Gold Cup later this summer.
The chant, one word that typically is said when the goalkeeper kicks the ball, has resulted in multiple sanctions from FIFA in its efforts to get rid of all discriminatory behaviors during matches.
According to FMF President Yon de Luisa, the following steps will be taken if the chant is heard during a game:
If the chant is heard, the referee will stop the match, a public address announcement will go throughout the stadium and people who started the chant will be asked to leave. The referee isn’t the only person who has to hear the chant. If it is heard by the match official or fourth official, they can alert the referee.
If the chant happens a second time, the referee will stop the match and will send players to the locker rooms. The PA announcement will happen again, and there will be time given to authorities to remove the offending people from the stadium.
If the chant happens a third time, the match will be abandoned.
“We are doing everything to never get to step three,” de Luisa said in a roundtable discussion Wednesday.
If the match is postponed or abandoned, de Luisa said there are protocols in place for the security teams and broadcast partners.
Abandoning a match could cost Mexico points in FIFA’s World Ranking, as well an ability to compete in tournaments.
The chant has been a point of contention for years. FMF moved to act when FIFA changed its disciplinary code in 2019.
FMF put its protocols into place in LIGA MX games in 2019. In 2020, it resulted in one team, Atlas, having to play in an empty home stadium because the supporters wouldn’t stop doing the chant in a previous game.
To educate its supporters, FMF will run educational advertisements in a market starting approximately a week before the game. Mexico’s schedule of friendly games includes playing in Nashville and Los Angeles. The Gold Cup will be played in seven cities around the U.S. starting later this summer.
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