Host Nation Mexico’s Fans Use Homophobic Chants During World Cup Match

Mexico City: Mexican fans chanted a homophobic chant during the first half of the World Cup last 32 match against Ecuador.

This chant, a one-word insult meaning male prostitute in Spanish, was repeated many times when the opposing goalkeeper was taking a goal kick.

Fans did just that in the fifth minute on Tuesday night when Hernan Galindez took the game’s first goal kick.

The fans’ use of this slogan for the second time in the tournament resulted in the Mexican Federation being given numerous fines by FIFA.

This chant originated during the match between Mexico and the United States at the Olympic Games qualifying tournament in Guadalajara, but went viral at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

There has been a tense atmosphere since the first whistle of the match.

Mexican fans gathered outside Ecuador’s hotel in Mexico City late last night and into the early hours of Tuesday; here they used horns, drums, motorcycles and cars, as well as DJs, to make noise for their opponents.

The tensions between fan bases reflect a deeper geopolitical rift. Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been severed since April 2024, when Ecuadorian police raided the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, who was granted political asylum.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa recently expressed a willingness to mend relations, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last Monday she would not discuss the issue until the high-stakes match is over.