San Diego FC trainer, sports director condemns homophobic chants during the first home game

The first home game of San Diego FC was clouded by the fans on Saturday evening by the repeated use of homophobic language, which the head coach and sports director of the club, after the match, pronounces as “unacceptable” and “outside of our value system”.

The homophobic chants with a word that have been common in Mexican football for years occurred to St. Louis City Sc. A segment of 34,506 fans, which were present in the Snapdragon stage in San Diego, was warned against video railways three times.

“Discrimination has no place in our sport and in our stadiums and is not tolerated,” says the message on the screen. “The fan singing that was used is insulting and we ask that fans do not use this vocals any further.”

The third and last warning to the fans suggested that the match could be abandoned if the chants continue. Snapdragon Stadium is 20 miles from the US border to Mexico.

The FC coach of San Diego, Mikey Varas, who is bilingual, dealt with the use of the singing in his comments after the game, first in Spanish and then in English.

“The singing that was heard this evening is unacceptable,” Vara's told reporters in the stadium. “It is outside of our value system. It neither represents the players, myself or the club and it is certainly neither San Diego nor Baja California. It is not a reflection of who we are. We are a community full of love, support, and we believe in the power of diversity. “

Varas also suggested that the singing was not carried out by the club's largest supporting group, La Frontera.

“This came from more of the general population in the seats, and it wasn't everyone,” said Varas. “I understand that, but there were enough people, and I just want to make it very clear that it has no place here. If you continue to come to the game and make this singing, it is better that you will not come here. “

“It is entirely against who we are as a club and as humans,” added the sports director and general manager of San Diego, Tyler Heps. “One of our basic values ​​is to be a good person, and I think that's what we are still standing. It is completely unacceptable and we will obviously make sure that it will not go on to the future. “

The fans usually carry out the vocals during the gate kicks of the opposing team and call the one-word lur when the keeper hits the ball. The singing has long been used in Mexican football, and the Mexican Football Association was repeated for singing. In 2019, FIFA, Global Football, presented its own protocol that aims to eliminate the singing.

This protocol is pretty clear. When the singing is heard for the first time, the match is stopped and a warning to the fans in the stadium is issued. The second event of singing means that the game is stopped, and both teams that return to their respective changing rooms. The match can be abandoned in the hardest cases.

The Mexican Football Association was punished several times because of the use of singing, and Mexican fans who have dealt with it have repeatedly forced games between the US national team and the Mexican national team during the games. In 2023, a game between the two countries ended a few minutes earlier after the Mexican followers refused to end the singing.

The singing is not common in the Major League Soccer, but the league had sporadic fights with it. The two clubs of the league-La Galaxy and LAFC-based clubs in Los Angeles are both spoken of against the singing, the latter of these teams have an organized effort to exterminate the singing from his games.

(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)