FIFA issues yet another stadium ban to Chile over persistent homophobic chants

Dec 19 2016
Written by Joseph McCormick

Chile has been given yet another stadium ban by FIFA after their fans failed to stop using homophobic chants at matches.

The country has received two previous stadium bans during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

As well as the ban, which means they will play two more games away from their Estadio Nacional, the country will be forced to pay 30,000 Swiss francs (£23,500).

“The proceedings relate to homophobic chants by the team’s fans and follow previous sanctions for similar incidents during the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup,” a statement from FIFA reads.

Having already rearranged a match with Venezuela for March to take place in a different stadium, Chile will also be made to rearrange games against Paraguay and Ecuador.

The national team previously couldn’t play Bolivia at the national stadium and were fined 70,000 Swiss francs (£55,000).

FIFA today issued bigger fines to England’s football association for wearing poppies than it has to countries whose fans chanted homophobic abuse.

The boss of one country fined, Mexico, has previously claimed homophobic chants are not discriminatory and should not receive fines at all.

The country’s fans frequently scream the anti-gay slur “puto”, a derogatory word for a male prostitute or gay man.

GLAAD has previously criticised FIFA for not taking action on homophobic chants at the last World Cup.