US Soccer Bans Anti-Gay Chants During Matches Hosted or Sanctioned in United States

It was announced Friday that discriminatory chants have been banned during all U.S. Soccer matches in the United States, according to ESPN's Jeff Carlisle.

The U.S. Soccer Federation specifically adopted a zero-tolerance policy for anti-gay chants, Carlisle adds. The Federation will also implement FIFA's three-step protocol at all U.S. soccer matches. 

FIFA released its three-step protocol to combat racism, bigotry and other forms of discrimination in 2019. If a discriminatory action occurs, the first step of the protocol is for the referee to stop a match with a stadium announcement to fans to explain the decision. 

If the actions continue, the second step is to suspend the match and have teams go to their locker rooms with another announcement made. The third step would be to abandon the match.

The decision comes after the Mexico Football Federation created a similar policy in January following incidents of fans starting anti-gay chants. Soccer fans in Mexico will be given a five-year ban if they make an anti-gay chant. 

The U.S. Soccer Federation's policy will go into effect immediately. The next international match for the Americans will take place later this month, with the USMNT set to face Mexico in World Cup qualifying.