Brazilian referee Anderson Daronco became the second official this month to halt a game due to homophobic chanting by fans.
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Vasco da Gama were playing host to Sao Paulo in a Brazilian first-division fixture when Daronco stopped the game and asked Vasco manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo to ask the home fans to stop the chanting.
Durante o segundo tempo, Daronco avisa e Luxemburgo pede para torcida do Vasco parar com os cantos homofóbicos pic.twitter.com/EfmrtaXl3B
— ge (@geglobo) August 25, 2019
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The rule by which referees are now empowered to stop games due to homophobic abuse came down from FIFA this summer, though the new guideline was initially intended to act as a tool against racist abuse occurring inside stadiums.
Not even two weeks ago, French referee Mehdi Mokhtari stopped a Ligue 2 game between Nancy and Le Mans due to homophobic chanting. The stoppage lasted “about a minute” before the game eventually resumed. Mokhtari was applauded by French sports ministers of all levels for his handling of the situation.
