Mexico's 2019 Gold Cup opener was marred by a ritualistic homophobic chant that the Mexican soccer federation and CONCACAF haven't done enough to address. (Getty)

The crescendo was familiar. The homophobic climax as forceful as ever. Again, and again, and again, it filled the Pasadena air. “EeeeeehhhhHHHHH,” came the primer from Mexican national team fans. And then the punctuation: “P***!”

It rattled the Rose Bowl on Saturday night, an inescapable feature of the 2019 Gold Cup’s opening-night soundtrack. And in one sense, it was alarming: Here, on international television, in front of some 65,000 people, was an anti-gay slur, the Spanish equivalent of “f*****,” being hurled in unison by hundreds of fans at an opposing goalkeeper.

Yet in another sense, it was routine. Perhaps even easy to ignore. After all, authorities did just that for years, as the taunt spread from Mexican club games to the national team last decade. It soon became a community staple, a rite of passage for match-going fans, a so-called tradition that follows El Tri almost everywhere it goes. FIFA fined Mexico’s soccer federation (FMF) for “homophobic chants” at 11 different 2018 World Cup qualifiers. They appeared anyway at the World Cup proper, then again at friendlies, then again on Saturday night.

Because of course they did. Everyone knew they would. Prior to Saturday, I set out to understand the chant’s apparent inevitability. As I rambled to one source, explaining that I planned to write about it whether or not it marred Saturday’s opener, the source interjected: “It will.”

So then why, if its presence was so foreseeable, weren’t the FMF, CONCACAF and others able to stop it?

Or, some might argue, a better question: Did anybody really try?

FIFA’s crackdown, and Mexican minimums

First, to disprove the chant’s inevitability: FIFA did stop it. Last year, in Russia, with a comprehensive crackdown that coerced cooperation out of the FMF. Global soccer’s governing body opened disciplinary proceedings after the chant accompanied German goal kicks during Mexico’s World Cup opener. FIFA not only fined the Mexican federation, but threatened more sanctions. It also promised to revoke Fan IDs – essentially tickets – and eject anybody caught yelling the slur.

The team responded with pleas to its supporters: “NO GRITES ‘P***.’” Prominent players reiterated the message. But their reasoning was problematic. “Let’s not risk another sanction,” Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez said. And Marco Fabián: “There are different rules now. It would be a shame for [fans] to not be allowed in. ... We should [try to] avoid punishments.”

View photos The chant appeared at the 2018 World Cup, but was curtailed after Mexico's opening match. (Getty) More

Never did they, nor the Mexican federation, acknowledge that the chant is homophobic. Which it is – even if the word has multiple meanings. FIFA has decided so. Disciplinary descriptions make that clear. So does FARE’s global guide to discriminatory practices in football, which declares “p***” a synonym for “f*****.” The word, according to the guide, refers “to gay men in a derogatory way.”

But the FMF has never admitted this. Its refusal constrains its efforts to eradicate the chant. Instead, it has appealed fines – about which supporters don’t care anyway. It launched one unspecific campaign in 2016. It has done the absolute minimum to avoid serious punishment. FIFA’s relatively heavy hand forced FMF to do more. CONCACAF, on the other hand, hasn’t done nearly enough.

Whose responsibility is the chant?

The two parties most responsible for Saturday night’s cries, and for an atmosphere that is hostile toward LGBTQ fans, are the FMF and CONCACAF. Probably in that order.

A third entity involved is Soccer United Marketing, or SUM, the agency that partners with both the FMF and CONCACAF to promote and sell their products. Its influence, however, is limited.