Mexico coach Miguel Herrera has defended World Cup fans chanting a gay slur which is under investigation by the sport's international governing body.
Mexico fans shouting the slur as the rival team's goalkeeper takes a goal kick is "not that bad," Herrera said Friday.
"We're with our fans. It's something they do to pressure the opposing goalkeeper," he said.
Fare, the European fan-monitoring group, reported the chants at Mexico's 1-0 win over Cameroon in Natal.
FIFA subsequently opened a disciplinary case against the Mexico federation, which is responsible for the behavior of its fans inside stadiums.
The chant originated with fans of Mexican club Chivas, then became popular during a Mexico-United States qualifying match for the 2004 Athens Olympics played in Guadalajara. It has become a common chant at professional matches across Mexico.
"That was how the chant was created and it was adopted by the other fan groups in Mexico," Herrera said.
U.S. & World
FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Brazil President Dilma Rousseff have pledged to use the World Cup as a platform to fight racism and discrimination.