Referee Ivan Barton decided to end a U.S.-Mexico soccer match in the 89th minute, with 12 minutes remaining in stoppage time, due to homophobic chants from Mexican fans in a tense contest that saw four players ejected.
Ricardo Pepi of the U.S. celebrates after scoring against Mexico in the match Thursday night. This ... [+]
The U.S. men’s national team faced off against Mexico in a match at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Due to homophobic chants being repeatedly yelled from the stands by Mexico’s fans during goal kicks taken by U.S. players, referee Ivan Barton cut the match short in the 89th minute despite there being roughly 12 more minutes in stoppage time remaining, according to sports media present at the match, including ESPN.
The match itself had been tense with four players ejected including U.S.'s Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest as well as Mexicans César Montes and Gerardo Arteaga, according to ESPN.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) which governs international soccer in North and Central America as well as the Caribbean, said in a statement it “strongly condemns the discriminatory chanting by some fans.”
The U.S. ultimately came away victorious, 3-1, in the slightly shortened match.
In its statement Friday, CONCACAF said: “These incidents were extremely disappointing and tarnished what should have been a positive occasion to showcase high quality football in our region.”
The Mexican Football Federation has struggled to prevent an anti-gay chant that is typically yelled during opposing goal kicks, according to ESPN. This has resulted in FIFA, the global governing body of soccer, fining the Mexican organization, including a $108,000 sanction for fans’ actions at the 2022 World Cup. The federation has tried public service announcements, posting messages on social media to encourage fans not to chant it and pregame announcements from players. On Thursday, CONCACAF announced it was relaunching its "What's Wrong is Wrong" anti-discrimination campaign. The campaign “aims to promote equality, inclusivity, and respect in football across the region, fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all individuals involved in the game.” CONCACAF said the campaign will also coincide with “increased stadium security” at matches over the summer and “a more proactive approach to ejecting fans who engage in discriminatory chants.”
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