Report on Discriminatory Practices in Mexican Football and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: The Intersection of Sport, Human Rights, and the 2030 Agenda

A persistent homophobic chant at Mexican national football team matches presents a significant challenge to the principles of inclusion and non-discrimination. With Mexico co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, civil society actors are intensifying efforts to eradicate this practice, framing the issue within the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This report analyzes the failure of previous interventions and outlines a new, multi-stakeholder strategy aimed at fostering an inclusive environment consistent with global development objectives.

The Challenge to SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions)

Nature of the Discriminatory Practice

The chant, a homophobic slur, represents a direct contravention of several SDGs by perpetuating a culture of intolerance and exclusion.

• Violation of SDG 10: The practice actively undermines the goal of reducing inequalities by promoting discrimination based on sexual orientation, creating an unsafe and unwelcoming environment for the LGBTQ+ community.
• Contradiction of SDG 16: The chant constitutes a form of verbal violence, which normalizes aggression and runs counter to the objective of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies. It highlights institutional weaknesses in enforcing non-discriminatory policies.

Inadequacy of Institutional Responses

The Mexican soccer federation’s attempts to address the issue have proven insufficient, failing to create lasting change or uphold the principles of strong and just institutions (SDG 16). Past measures include:

1. Financial Penalties: FIFA has imposed significant fines, including a 100,000 Swiss franc penalty during the 2022 World Cup, which have had little deterrent effect.
2. Ineffective Social Campaigns: Initial arguments that the chant was cultural rather than homophobic, followed by unsuccessful social campaigns, failed to address the root cause of the discrimination.
3. Unenforced Sanctions: A 2022 policy threatening five-year stadium bans for offenders was not implemented, demonstrating a lack of enforcement capacity.

A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Foster Inclusive Societies (SDG 5, SDG 11, SDG 17)

A New Partnership for the Goals (SDG 17)

In response to institutional inaction, a coalition has formed to tackle the issue through education and direct engagement, exemplifying the collaborative approach central to SDG 17. Key partners in this initiative include:

• LGBTQ+ activists and former athletes.
• Calma Comunidad, a non-profit organization focused on sexual education.
• The National Council to Prevent Discrimination, a decentralized government agency.

Strategic Objectives for the 2026 World Cup

The coalition’s strategy is designed to create safe, inclusive public spaces (SDG 11) and combat discrimination (SDG 5 and SDG 10) ahead of the global event. The core objectives are:

1. To engage directly with top-tier football teams and their fan clubs to conduct educational workshops on discrimination and inclusion.
2. To appeal to sponsors, institutions, and players to leverage their influence to promote a message of respect and non-violence.
3. To reframe fan engagement, encouraging passionate support for teams without resorting to discriminatory or homophobic language.
4. To transform stadiums into safe and inclusive public spaces for all attendees, in line with the targets of SDG 11.

Conclusion: Leveraging Global Sporting Events for Sustainable Development

The initiative to eradicate the homophobic chant in Mexican football is a critical effort to align a major cultural and sporting institution with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2026 World Cup provides a unique opportunity to advance progress on SDGs related to equality, peace, and inclusion. Success will depend on the commitment of all stakeholders to transform sport into a platform for positive social change, ensuring that its legacy contributes to a more just and sustainable society.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights issues of discrimination, homophobic violence, and institutional accountability, which directly connect to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary SDGs addressed are:

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The core issue is a homophobic chant, which is a form of discrimination and verbal abuse targeting the LGBTQ+ community. This directly contravenes the goal of reducing inequalities and ensuring social inclusion for all, irrespective of sexual orientation.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article discusses the chant as a form of “normalized violence” that “perpetuates homophobic hate crimes.” It also critiques the failure of an institution, the Mexican soccer federation, to effectively address the problem, pointing to a need for stronger, more accountable institutions that can enforce non-discriminatory practices.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: Homophobia is deeply rooted in rigid gender norms and stereotypes. The chant, described as a “one-word slur that literally means male prostitute in Spanish,” is a form of gender-based insult. Addressing such language is part of the broader effort to dismantle harmful gender stereotypes and achieve gender equality.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s discussion of discrimination, violence, and institutional response, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 10.2: “By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.”
   • Explanation: The efforts by LGBTQ+ activist Andoni Bello and organizations like Calma Comunidad to end the homophobic chant are a direct attempt to promote the social inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals in a major public and cultural sphere—soccer stadiums. The chant actively works to exclude and demean this group, and the campaign aims to reverse this.
2. Target 10.3: “Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard.”
   • Explanation: The homophobic chant is a discriminatory practice. The article highlights the failure of the federation’s policies (“social campaigns that did not succeed”) and lack of enforcement (“did not enforce” five-year stadium bans). The new campaign involving the National Council to Prevent Discrimination is an example of promoting action to eliminate this practice.
3. Target 16.1: “Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.”
   • Explanation: Activist Andoni Bello explicitly links the chant to broader violence, stating, “This normalized violence perpetuates homophobic hate crimes in this country.” The campaign to stop the chant is framed as an effort to reduce a form of verbal violence that contributes to a climate where physical hate crimes can occur.
4. Target 16.b: “Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.”
   • Explanation: The article criticizes the Mexican soccer federation for its failure to enforce its own policies, such as the threatened five-year stadium bans. The involvement of the “National Council to Prevent Discrimination, a decentralized agency of Mexico’s government,” signifies a push towards enforcing non-discriminatory norms and policies within this sphere.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article implies several quantitative and qualitative indicators that could be used to measure progress in eliminating the homophobic chant and achieving the related SDG targets:

• Frequency of the homophobic chant: The primary indicator of success would be a reduction in, and eventual elimination of, the chant during soccer matches. The article notes its prevalence since the 2014 World Cup, so tracking its occurrence would be a direct measure of progress.
• Number and effectiveness of sanctions: The article mentions fines (e.g., “100,000 Swiss francs”) and threatened stadium bans as measures taken by the federation. An indicator of progress would be the consistent enforcement of these sanctions and an analysis of whether they lead to a decrease in the chanting. The article currently suggests these are ineffective (“fines have been for nothing”).
• Number of educational workshops conducted: The new strategy involves activists and organizations approaching “top-tier teams and their fan clubs to try to do workshops before the World Cup.” The number of workshops held and the number of fans reached would be a key performance indicator for this preventative action.
• Public perception and fan behavior change: While harder to quantify, a shift in fan culture is the ultimate goal. This could be measured through surveys of fans’ attitudes towards the chant and observational studies of behavior in stadiums. The activist’s call for fans to “change the way they view people and their sexuality” points to this qualitative indicator.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: apnews.com