Soccer’s international governing body on Friday punished Mexico for the use of homophobic slurs by its fans on multiple occasions this year, ordering the program to stage two official home matches without spectators.
FIFA did not specify which teams or games would be affected, but the next official home games are the 2022 World Cup qualifiers for the men’s national team against Jamaica on Sept. 2 and Canada on Oct. 7.
That would mean Mexico would not have the usual thunderous support at 87,000-seat Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee fined the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) about $65,000 for the behavior of fans at two matches at the Olympic men’s qualifying tournament for under-23 squads in March in Guadalajara.