FC San Diego accused of homophobic chanting at matches

• San Diego FC has been accused of homophobic chanting, which was heard during the club’s home match in MLS.
• In a report, The Guardian said it had documented the chanting in Guadalajara ahead of the 2004 pre-Olympic tournament involving San Diego FC.
• The club denies any wrongdoing, saying it was not responsible for the chants during the match at home.

San Diego FC denies having homophobic chanting during its home match in MLS as a company, pointing to The Guardian. The report links the chanting to the club’s fans and says it heard in English the “the chant” or “the p-word”.

The Guardian also notes that the chanting was heard in Guadalajara: Atlas fanatics, a group of fans of Guadalajara, were involved in the 4-0 win over San Diego FC’s opponent Mexico DJ Countess. The report adds that the chanting was directed at the Mexican club’s fans, which it says were involved in the pre-Olympic tournament in Guadalajara in 2004, and that San Diego FC’s fans chanted “the p-word” during the match.

In a statement, The Guardian said it had reached out to the club. San Diego FC’s President Mike Vares said the match was a “one-off” and the club had taken action to address the issue. The club added that it had never tolerated racism or discriminatory words in sport, at the club, or in the community.

The Guardian also reports that the club’s sporting director Tyler Heaps said it would take immediate steps to address this behavior and would communicate a detailed plan prior to the next home match.

Why does The Guardian say the club’s match in San Diego is connected to the issue? The report says that the chanting was directed at the club’s fans and that it had been heard in English. The report adds that the club’s fans chanted “the p-word” and that the chanting may be related to homophobic slurs.

In a separate report, The New York Times (The Athletic) suggests that the chanting might be linked to other groups’ chants and that it is unclear whether the homophobic chanting was actually used in World Cup-related contexts.

Tags: Sport/Football