Argentina, Chile fined by FIFA for homophobic chants

The football associations of Argentina and Chile are among six that have had disciplinary proceedings opened against them by FIFA for homophobic chants during 2018 World Cup qualifying fixtures.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has been fined 20,000 Swiss francs for discriminatory behaviour of supporters during their 1-1 draw with Brazil in November, while the governing bodies for Mexico, Peru and Uruguay have also received the same sanctions for individual cases.

Chile’s punishment relates to homophobic chants during all four of their World Cup qualifiers, with fines totalling 70,000 Swiss francs, while the case against Honduras remains pending.

“All of the proceedings relate to homophobic chants by the respective team’s fans, with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee finding the associations to have violated article 67 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC),” a FIFA statement read.

“The Disciplinary Committee took the decisions after analysing all of the specific circumstances of each case, in particular, the position adopted by the association (if applicable) as well as the anti-discrimination match observer’s report and the relevant evidence available. 

“The concerned parties have been notified of the decisions. Meanwhile, proceedings against the Honduras Football Association for apparent homophobic chants by its supporters are ongoing.”