Mexico’s Infamous Anti-Gay Slur Used for Opposing Soccer Team’s goalkeepers

slate.com reported if you listened closely during Mexico’s match against Croatia on Monday, you might have heard fans of El Tri shouting the Spanish word puto during goal kicks. Despite how it sounds, puto does not mean point or punt. In fact, the word is a clear, if somewhat semantically sophisticated, anti-gay slur, which is why its use by Mexican fans has been so controversial during this World Cup. Still, FIFA has cleared Mexico of improper conduct charges in the wake of official complaints, and despite promises to the contrary, ESPN did not mute the slur during its broadcast on Monday.

FIFA is undoubtedly in the wrong here, but then again, regulating chants is tricky business. Fans yell puto, which roughly means gay prostitute, at the opposing team’s goalkeeper as a tactic to distract him from his task, a common enough practice in all sports. In this case, the chant is a very specific, homophobic double-entendre, playing on the concept of letting someone “score a goal on you.” In Spanish, to score a goal is meter un gol. That translates literally as to put a goal in, so when a goalie fails at his job, he dejó que se la metieran, or allowed someone to stick it in. You see where this is going: The embarrassment of allowing a goal in your net is akin to being on the receiving end of anal sex—you know, like a gay guy. Read Article