FIFA Imposes 1 Fine in Every 3 Games for Homophobia in South American Elimination Rounds

09/23/2016 - 11h13

With special attention given to the Russia Soccer World Cup to be held in 2018 and given the country's background filled with fans with discriminatory attitudes, Fifa, the world's governing body of soccer, developed a monitoring program used during the playoffs to dispute the World Cup.

Based on this program, Fifa has already given a fine in every three rounds of the South America playoffs, totaling ten fines in six rounds (comprised of five matches each, amounting to 30 matches).

The cases of the two past rounds, disputed in September, have not been evaluated by Fifa's Disciplinary Committee yet - as Folha disclosed, Brazil will be judged for the first time as Colombian goalkeeper Ospina was called a "faggot" by fans during a match in Manaus.

So far, the Chilean federation has been the most affected by the project, which began in October 2015: it has been punished five times and had to pay some R$ 320,000 (US$ 97,000) in fines, in addition to being prohibited from using the Nacional stadium in two matches.

The monitoring system is led by Fifa's sustainability and diversity department, whose head is Argentina's Federico Addiechi.

In the South American countries, the fines are given mostly due to the fans screaming "puto" when goalkeepers prepare for a goal kick. In Spanish-speaking countries, "puto" is a pejorative way of referring to homosexuals. In Brazil, the fans began to imitate the attitude in 2014, before the World Cup, by screaming "bicha" ("faggot").

In addition to the ten fines given in South America, six others were given in games of Concacaf (Central America, North America and the Caribbean).

There have been no homophobic incidents reported in Europe, which had two cases of racism in Croatia in March. Questioned whether the fines were not too soft a punishment and given that the cases continue to occur, Addiechi says that several federations began campaigns against homophobia after the sanctions began.

Translated by THOMAS MUELLO

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