The Concacaf Nations League final between Mexico and Panama on Sunday night experienced a brief delay due to anti-gay chants from the crowd at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. In the 82nd minute, Concacaf issued an initial warning, and the match was paused a few minutes later. Play resumed after a short break, and Mexico ultimately defeated Panama 2-1.
This incident marks the third year in a row that anti-gay chants have disrupted the competition, having occurred in the 2023 semifinal between the United States and Mexico, as well as the 2024 final also involving these two nations.
Mexico secured victory with a late penalty goal from Raul Jimenez in the 92nd minute, his second goal of the match. This win earned El Tri their first Concacaf Nations League title. Earlier on Sunday, the United States lost to Canada in the third-place match.
Background
Past Nations League finals involving Mexico have also been interrupted due to fans using anti-gay chants. During El Tri`s 2021 semifinal victory over Costa Rica, the game was paused for three minutes during a penalty shootout, resulting in the ejection of several fans. In the CNL final against the U.S. men`s national team days later, the match was again paused for three minutes during second-half stoppage time. This issue recurred in 2024.
Anti-Discrimination Policy
Prior to the inaugural Nations League finals in 2021, Concacaf implemented a three-step policy, aligning with FIFA guidelines on discriminatory language from fans.
According to this policy, if discriminatory behavior is heard, the referee will initially halt the match temporarily. This pause will be followed by a stadium announcement and messages on in-stadium screens explaining the stoppage and requesting fans to cease discriminatory language.
Should the behavior persist, the referee has the authority to suspend the match and send teams to the locker room for a period deemed appropriate by officials. This decision will also be accompanied by announcements. The final measure available to the referee is to abandon the match altogether.
Dominic Ashworth