The Concacaf Nations League final between Mexico and Panama on Sunday night was briefly paused due to anti-gay chants heard at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. In the 82nd minute, officials issued a warning before stopping the game a few minutes later. Play resumed after a short delay, and Mexico defeated Panama 2-1.
This is the third year in a row that these chants have disrupted the tournament, also occurring in the 2023 semifinal between the United States and Mexico and the 2024 final involving the same two teams.
Mexico won the match thanks to a late penalty goal by Raul Jimenez in the 92nd minute, his second goal of the game. This victory secured Mexico`s 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 because of fans using the anti-gay chant. During El Tri`s 2021 semifinal win against Costa Rica, play was stopped for three minutes during a penalty shootout, leading to the ejection of several fans. In the CNL final against the U.S. men`s national team a few days later, the match was again paused for three minutes in second-half stoppage time. This also happened in 2024.
Anti-discrimination Policy
Concacaf implemented a three-step policy before the 2021 Nations League finals, aligning with FIFA guidelines on discriminatory fan language.
According to this policy, if discriminatory behavior is heard, the referee will initially halt the match temporarily. This pause will be followed by an announcement in the stadium and a message on stadium screens explaining the situation and requesting fans to stop using discriminatory language.
If the behavior continues, the referee can suspend the match, sending teams to the locker room for a period determined by officials. This decision will also be accompanied by announcements. The referee`s ultimate action can be to abandon the match entirely.
