Mexico U-23 look to eradicate 'puto' fan chant
The players from the Mexico youth national team that is participating in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifier tournament want fans to stop yelling ‘puto.’
For an entire year fans of Mexico men’s national team were unable to attend matches due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now they have returned, at a limited capacity admittedly, for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifier tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, but alas some things have not changed.
Fans keep chanting ‘puto’
Mexico’s U-23 national team made their debut in the tournament by defeating Domincan Republic 4-1 at the Jalisco stadium. The venue allowed fans in at a 25 per cent capacity, in line with covid-19 guidelines, and just like they did a year ago, the supporters kept chanting ‘ehhhhh puto’ every time the opposing goalkeepers made a run to restart the play. 'Puto' is a homophobic term for a male sex worker. The tradition of shouting this at goalkeepers dates back to the middle of the first decade of the century.
The Mexican national team released an official statement after the game condemning the fans that keep the chant going. In 2016, the Mexican Football Federation launched a campaign called ‘Abrazados por el Fútbol,’ (Embraced by football) that was created to respect inclusion and a ‘more peaceful, familiar and safer environment for all who love the sport.’
The Mexican youth national team will play their second match of the tournament today against Costa Rica. Then they will then go ahead and face the United States on March 24 and if they keep a winning record they will advance to the semifinals.