Veteran Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, a hero of the Nations League semifinals against Costa Rica, on Saturday called on his fans to stop screaming homophobic in games, which could lead to heavy sanctions from Concacaf.
“I take this opportunity to insist and ask the fans to stop that cry, which is not helping us at all, which is affecting us,” said the goalkeeper on Saturday at the press conference prior to Sunday’s final against the United States.
“To the fans in the stadium tomorrow and in the following matches … Leave it now, we, the players of the national team, the coaching staff are asking for it,” asked Ochoa, who addressed the matter without prior question.
“In the long run it can harm us. Let’s dedicate ourselves to enjoying the game, to supporting the players and, without a doubt, to respecting the rival (…) Let’s support the football spectacle with things that support us and not harm us, ”concluded the 35-year-old goalkeeper from America.
Ochoa, who aspires to play his fifth World Cup in Qatar-2022, again saved Mexico on Thursday by saving Allan Cruz’s last penalty from Costa Rica in the shoot-out, which ended a semifinal that had ended without goals.
Concacaf and the Mexican authorities and soccer players have been trying for years to get fans to abandon the habit of chanting a homophobic insult every time the rival goalkeeper kicks out of the door, which for many of them is a simple soccer war cry.
On Thursday, for the second consecutive Mexico game, the referee ordered the semifinal to be stopped for a few minutes due to the insults and from the public address system it was warned that, according to Concacaf’s protocol, the next step could be to suspend the clash.
If this situation continues, “it may be that the next matches will force us to play behind closed doors, it does not matter if they are friendly or official. It may be that they will take us out of the following competitions, “said the president of the Mexican Football Federation, Yon de Luisa. “Things can get very ugly,” he concluded. AFP. (JL).