LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ruled that FIFA was wrong to fine Mexico’s soccer federation for fans chanting gay slurs at opposition goalkeepers at World Cup qualifying games.
The court says although the chants are “insulting words,” FIFA had helped create a “wrong - but legitimate- understanding” that cases would not be punished.
At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, FIFA’s disciplinary committee did not pursue the chants by Mexico fans at games.
However, when the 2018 World Cup qualifying program began, FIFA prosecuted what it called “homophobic chants.”
Mexico appealed against fines totaling 35,000 Swiss francs ($35,250) for the chants at games against El Salvador in November 2015 and Canada in March 2016.
CAS says it cancels those fines while upholding warnings imposed by FIFA.
