Homophobic chants at soccer match at AT&T Stadium condemned by governing bodies
ARLINGTON — The governing body of North, Central American, and Caribbean soccer is urging fans to stop using the discriminatory chant that halted play during Sunday night's Nations League Final in Arlington.
The U.S. ultimately beat Mexico, 2-0, but play had to be suspended twice during the match because of homophobic chants by pro-Mexican fans. It's the second straight year it's happened in a game between the U.S. and Mexico.
The match was delayed for close to five minutes in the 88th minute and again in the 96th minute because of the chants.
In a statement, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football said it "condemns the discriminatory chanting in the final minutes of the Nations League Final."
The teams played before a crowd of nearly 60,000 people at AT&T Stadium.
Security staff in the stadium "identified and ejected a significant number of fans," according to Concacaf. Representatives for AT&T Stadium and the Arlington Police Department wouldn't give CBS News Texas any numbers or details on what that looked like.
CONCACAF said it has consistently urged fans to stop the chant with messaging before and during the event.
Last year's Nations League semi-final between the U.S. and Mexico in Las Vegas was also stopped because of discriminatory chanting from fans.
"It is extremely disappointing that this matter continues to be an issue at some matches, particularly in the context of the next two years presenting such a tremendous opportunity to grow the sport in our region," said Concacaf in its statement. "We will continue to urge fans to support their teams positively and with respect for the opposition and all participants in the game."
World soccer's governing body, FIFA, has repeatedly held the Mexican Soccer Federation responsible for offensive chants by handing out fines for the behavior.
Juan Contreras, the president of Texas Latino Pride, released this statement in response to last night's events:
"Soccer is a global celebration of community that includes athletes and fans from all backgrounds. Last night's incident included disturbingly homophobic chants that do not belong on or off the field. Our organization stands with CONCACAF and we are disappointed these regressive chants continue to be an issue at some games."
AT&T Stadium will host nine World Cup matches in 2026, so this may not be the last time fans, players and soccer officials have to address the issue in Arlington.