Mexico Coach Defends Gay Slur Chant by Crowd

The slur was, "not that bad" according to coach Miguel Herrera

Mexico coach Miguel Herrera has defended World Cup fans chanting a gay slur which is under investigation by the sport's international governing body.

Mexico fans shouting the slur as the rival team's goalkeeper takes a goal kick is "not that bad," Herrera said Friday.

"We're with our fans. It's something they do to pressure the opposing goalkeeper," he said.

Fare, the European fan-monitoring group, reported the chants at Mexico's 1-0 win over Cameroon in Natal.

FIFA subsequently opened a disciplinary case against the Mexico federation, which is responsible for the behavior of its fans inside stadiums.

The chant originated with fans of Mexican club Chivas, then became popular during a Mexico-United States qualifying match for the 2004 Athens Olympics played in Guadalajara. It has become a common chant at professional matches across Mexico.

"That was how the chant was created and it was adopted by the other fan groups in Mexico," Herrera said.

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