TL;DR
- Portland Timbers head coach Phil Neville condemned repeated homophobic chants from Club América fans during a Leagues Cup match.
- Referee halted the game after multiple loudspeaker warnings.
- Neville praised the referee but slammed discrimination as “totally unacceptable.”
- The incident comes amid rising reports of sexism, transphobia, and racism in football.
- The Premier League recently ended its partnership with the Rainbow Laces campaign.
Neville Calls Out Ugly Truth in Football
Phil Neville wasn’t mincing words after a Leagues Cup clash turned ugly. The Portland Timbers head coach tore into the homophobic chants hurled at his players by Club América supporters during Wednesday’s match in Austin, Texas.
Fans of the Mexican side lobbed anti-gay abuse throughout the second half, ignoring repeated loudspeaker warnings. It got so bad that referee Guido Gonzales Jr. had to hit pause on the action. “We shouldn’t be talking about football tonight,” Neville said, his voice dripping with frustration. “We should be talking about discrimination on a football field. There’s no place for that whatsoever.”
The former England and Manchester United star, who’s been at the Timbers helm since November 2023, praised Gonzales’ handling of the mess but made clear the night’s headlines had nothing to do with goals or penalties. “It’s unacceptable that my players were discriminated against,” he stressed. “Football does not matter in these situations.”
Not Just a Game — It’s a Culture Problem
Neville noted there were “four or five stoppages” due to discrimination, each one marked by loudspeaker announcements. His message to the football world? If leagues are serious about ending abuse, there’s no room for polite warnings without real consequences.
“I’ve got the utmost respect for Club América,” Neville said. “But discrimination is unacceptable in football.” In the end, Club América took the win in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw — but the scoreboard wasn’t the story.
Data from anti-discrimination group Kick It Out backs Neville up: the 2024–2025 season has already seen 1,398 reported incidents, with transphobia and sexism climbing while racism remains the top offense. The LGBTQ community knows all too well that stadiums can still be hostile ground, and without firm action, it sends the wrong message to queer athletes and fans.
The Bigger Picture for LGBTQ Inclusion in Sport
This flashpoint comes just as the English Premier League ended its partnership with LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign. For a decade, the initiative turned boots into billboards for equality, with rainbow armbands and laces worn at every level. A Stonewall study found that 74% of fans exposed to the campaign saw LGBTQ people as part of the sporting community — a win for inclusion.
The league says it will launch its own campaign in February for LGBT+ History Month. But Neville’s frustration underscores that glossy campaigns aren’t enough without enforcement on the pitch. Homophobic chants don’t just sting in the moment — they send a chilling message to queer players and fans that they’re not welcome.
For LGBTQ athletes, it’s a reminder that visibility is powerful but protection is essential. And as Neville proved, sometimes the bravest play isn’t on the ball — it’s in calling out the ugliness that still lingers in the beautiful game.