World Cup 2014: Brazil and Mexico facing action for ‘homophobic’ chants
By Mike Dyce
The 2014 World Cup has gone on pretty much uninterrupted and affected by protests and other issues. There have been concerns and strikes, but nothing noticeable as of yet. The first real blemish of the tournament might be coming following Brazil and Mexico’s thrilling 0-0 draw.
From The Telegraph:
"Brazil could face punishment for the “homophobic” behaviour of their fans after they were reported to Fifa over chants heard in their World Cup draw with Mexico. The Fare network, which is monitoring discriminatory behaviour at the tournament, alerted the world governing body to supporters’ use of the word “Puto” at the Group A game in Fortaleza.Brazil and Mexico were both reported for aiming the abusive word – meaning male whore – at the opposition goalkeeper, with the visitors also cited for the same chant in their opening victory against Cameroon."
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“It seems that some fans of some countries will take their hatred halfway around the world. These images need to be acted on urgently,” Piara Powar, executive director of Fare and a member of Fifa’s anti-racism task force, told The Telegraph.
“The levels of homophobic abuse at some matches is also totally unacceptable. There is some rapid education required before it begins to run out of control.
“Fifa has some strong regulations in place and we hope they use them. Zero tolerance is the approach set out. It is what is required here.”
The “Puto” chant is one regularly heard at El Tri games, even those pre-World Cup friendlies held in the United States. No punishment has been handed down yet, but with FIFA president Sepp Blatter looking at new ways to punish racism, it might not be too surprising to see him hand down a punishment. Blatter has recently talked about point deductions in avenues like World Cup or continental tournaments.