San Diego FC Condemns Homophobic Chant at Home Opener

San Diego FC's inaugural home match against St. Louis City was disrupted by three instances of a homophobic chant. This occurred during a scoreless draw on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium. The stadium had 34,506 fans attending to celebrate Major League Soccer's newest, 30th team. Coach Mikey Varas condemned the chant, stating: "The chant that was heard tonight is unacceptable. It's outside of our value system. It doesn't represent the players, myself or the club, and it certainly doesn't represent San Diego or Baja California."

Tyler Heaps, the club's sporting director, reiterated the chant is unacceptable and does not align with the club's core values. The chant was made despite repeated warnings on the scoreboard and public address system. It did not originate from the main supporter section, La Frontera, but from the general crowd. This chant is common in Mexican soccer, often heard during goal kicks, and has resulted in fines, stoppages, and shortened matches by FIFA. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)