Fifa is investigating alleged homophobic chants by Mexico fans during their 1-0 World Cup win over Germany on Sunday. The chants appeared to be directed at Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has been fined nine times for similar incidents during the qualifying campaign and has repeatedly urged fans to stop using the slurs. In November, the FMF won an appeal against two Fifa fines for the chant, which includes the Spanish word for a male prostitute, but was warned that harsher sanctions would follow if it continued.
Javier Ruiz Galindo, head of the National House of Mexico for fans in Moscow, said the chant could be interpreted in many ways. 'It's not necessarily meant to insult somebody,' he told the BBC. 'We have been asked many times not to do it so we should be respectful.'
Football's anti-discrimination organisation the Fare Network stated that the word 'has a more general heterosexist connotation, and particularly in a football context is used as a pejorative and homophobic chant, referring to gay men in a derogatory way.' Every World Cup match has three anti-discrimination observers monitoring fan behaviour.
