By Andrew Warshaw in Moscow
June 19 – After all the talk and concerns about Russia’s record on racism being at the centre of attention at the World Cup, it is a visiting team’s fans who have tarnished the early stages of the tournament.
Mexico’s supporters may have celebrated like there was no tomorrow after their side’s stupendous upset win over world champions Germany but off the field many who attended Sunday’s fixture at the Luzhniki stadium – including this writer – witnessed a more unsavoury aspect of the Mexican support.
Whenever Germany’s black defender Jerome Boateng was on the ball, you could hear the wolf whistles while Mexican fans also aimed shouts of “puto” (Spanish for a male prostitute) at German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
FIFA have now opened disciplinary proceedings against the Mexican Football Federation for the alleged bigotry after the referee took no action.
Mexico supporters have long used the ‘puto’ chant aimed at goalkeepers taking goal-kicks and landed the federation in trouble at previous big tournaments. The fans have again ignored a request from the Mexican Football Federation to refrain from using it in Russia.
Asked why its own three-step initiative was not instigated, a FIFA spokesman was quoted as saying: “A public announcement was prepared, but the chants ceased.
“After the match, and as an important step for further action, the incident was duly included in the match report, as well as the evidence produced by the anti-discrimination observers.
“Based on those reports, FIFA’s disciplinary committee has opened proceedings against the Mexican FA.”
The MFF was apparently fined nine times for supporters’ homophobic chanting during the qualifying competition and the latest chanting was filmed by FIFA’s independent anti-discrimination observers and reported to those responsible.
On the eve of the World Cup, the chairman of FIFA’s referees committee, Pierluigi Collina, said match officials had been ordered to take action where necessary. But on this occasion, it would appear the vastly experienced Iranian Alireza Faghani either heard nothing or decided it was not sufficiently serious.
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