The United States and Mexico have caused scandal in the Nations League – four times in the red

In the match between the United States and Mexico, football slipped. There were many homophobic evictions and chants.

In the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League, there were many unpleasant scenes. The United States’ 3-0 victory over Mexico in Las Vegas was overshadowed by four evictions and homophobic cheering in the stands.

Former Schalke 04 players Weston McKinney and Serginho Dest for the USA, as well as Cesar Montes and Gerardo Arteaga for Mexico, were each forced to leave the field with red cards in a turbulent second half. Referee Evan Barton of El Salvador, who refereed Germany’s preliminary round match against Japan in the last World Cup, stopped the match in the 90th minute because of homophobic chants. Then Barton didn’t add twelve minutes as planned, but he did blow the whistle in the eighth minute of extra time as the cheers started again.

Mexican fans are notorious for their homophobic songs. The Central American country has been sanctioned by FIFA more than a dozen times in recent years, including for the Ghost Games. The latest investigation by FIFA was after Mexico’s exit from the World Cup in Qatar last December due to cheers from the fans.

From a sporting point of view, one former Dortmund squad member in particular has grabbed the headlines: Christian Pulisic scored twice for the USA. The third goal was scored by Augsburg’s Ricardo Pepe, another familiar face from the Bundesliga. Pepe was last on loan from Augsburg to Groningen. It was the first US team to beat Mexico by three goals in 23 years.

The opponent of the US national team in the Nations League final is Canada, which, thanks to the goal of Bayern Munich professional Alfonso Davies, won 2-0 (1-0) over Panama. The CONCACAF Nations League final will be held on Sunday.