The world body has made it clear that it will be cracking down on racism and homophobia in the game around the world - Hungary was fined for a homophobic chant directed at Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017 - and the teams of offending fans will pay the consequences for their supporters' discriminatory behavior. In conjunction with soccer authorities and match organizers, the FMF is working to eradicate the chant from its matches with the knowledge that failure to do so could result in escalating punishment from FIFA. MORE: Mexican soccer officials fear worse punishment in future If it is discriminatory, we should avoid it." "If anybody feels it's a discriminatory act, then it is not something that we should include in a conversation. It's how the other receive it," Mexican federation president Yon de Luisa told media in 2021. "It's not the intention with which you shout or with which you chant. FIFA and anti-discrimination groups have made that much clear and the Mexican soccer federation (FMF) has also recognized it and is taking action. But there's no getting around the fact that it's a derogatory term that's demeaning to the gay community. The argument for years was that the word has multiple cultural meanings in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries and that it is not intended as a homophobic slur when used by fans in a stadium. The chant is supposedly meant to intimidate the ‘keeper and the opposing team. In a practice believed to have started among fans in the early 2000s, Mexican national team fans join in unison to shout a Spanish-language homophobic slur ("p-," which roughly translates to "gay prostitute") when an opposing goalkeeper puts the ball into play on a goal kick. In the latest punishment dished out by FIFA, the team will be forced to play two of its 2022 home World Cup qualifiers without fans. With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.Mexico's soccer federation has been sanctioned repeatedly by world governing body FIFA for a homophobic chant used by its fans during Mexican national team games. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
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Mike Beuttler, a driver in the early 1970s, is the only known gay male to have raced in F1 but there has never been an openly homosexual competitor.Īsked why a driver may feel the need to 'stay closeted', the Aston Martin driver added: “I guess it might be similar to the situation in a sport like football: the old image of a player or driver as a ‘hero’ who should match a certain set of criteria. Vettel is the first Formula One driver to feature on the cover of a magazine for "So I think and hope our sport would be ready for one.”
"I feel that a gay driver would help to speed up the elimination of prejudice and help push our sport in a better direction. Vettel has positioned himself as an 'ally' of the LGBTQ+ movement and visually showed his support in Hungary and Saudi Arabia where laws discriminate and criminalise the community.įeaturing on the cover of the July/August issue of Attitude, the best-selling LGBTQ+ campaigning lifestyle magazine, Vettel reflected: “Perhaps it wouldn’t have been the case in the past, but now I think a gay Formula One driver would be welcomed – and rightly so.