Panama Football Federation Says Punished For Homophobic Chanting At World Cup Qualifiers

The Panamanian Football Federation has announced it was sanctioned by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) for homophobic chanting by its fans during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2021) The Panamanian Football Federation has announced it was sanctioned by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) for homophobic chanting by its fans during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

The incidents in question took place in September when Panama hosted the games against Costa Rica and Mexico as part of the 2022 World Cup qualifier.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee ruled that Panama's national team would play the next home World Cup qualifying match with the El Salvador team scheduled for November 16 without spectators as punishment, the Panamanian Football Federation said in a statement on Friday.

It was also fined 50,000 Swiss Francs ($54,148) for the incidents, the statement added.

The Panamanian Football Federation has denounced any kind of discrimination but filed an appeal, hoping to overturn the penalty.