Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….
San Diego FC's 2025 MLS season celebratory home opener against St. Louis CITY on Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium saw an unfortunate happening after a large section fans participated in a homophobic chant aimed at St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki throughout the match.
Widely-condemned homophobic chant present at San Diego FC home opener
The chant, which was heard almost every time Bürki took a goal kick, has since been widely condemned by the club and its leadership.
Everyone at the San Diego FC game doing the p*to chant towards the end #SDFC #SanDiegoFC #mls #MLSSeasonPass pic.twitter.com/jn9flkDIqB
— Marco (@MarcoHallinan) March 2, 2025
The continuous offense was addressed by the stadium’s public address system, which had to intervene on multiple occasions by displaying a message on the big screen calling out the chant.
“Discrimination has no place in our sport and in our stadiums and will not be tolerated. The fan chants that were just used are offensive, and we ask that fans do not continue to use this chant. Thank you,” the statement read, urging fans to reconsider their actions.
San Diego FC fans continue to use the homophobic chant at the opposing goalkeeper, a true embarrassment from the San Diego soccer community pic.twitter.com/SHpBifIv6l
— SanDiego.Futbol (@SanDiego_Futbol) March 2, 2025
This came on the heels of San Diego FC’s impressive debut in competitive play the previous Sunday, where their passionate fan base made headlines for their loud and energetic support in the historic 2-0 win against the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park. However, Saturday’s episode quickly overshadowed the excitement, with both club executives and head coach Mikey Varas taking swift action to address the situation.
Varas opened his post-match press conference by condemning the chant, emphasizing, “That chant does not represent the players, myself, the club, and it certainly doesn't represent San Diego or Baja California. It's not a reflection of who we are.” He was joined by general manager Tyler Heaps, who reiterated the club’s values, saying, “It's totally against our values as a club and also who we are as people.”
Mikey Varas starts off the press conference with this statement on the homophobic chant being used pic.twitter.com/t8jl6J6spR
— SanDiego.Futbol (@SanDiego_Futbol) March 2, 2025
San Diego FC General Manager Tyler Heaps on the discriminatory chant echoed through Snapdragon Stadium tonight. pic.twitter.com/ACSrQchevL
— SanDiego.Futbol (@SanDiego_Futbol) March 2, 2025
SDFC, who have enjoyed a strong start to their MLS campaign with a win and a draw — both accompanied by clean sheets — will now focus on their upcoming away match against Real Salt Lake on March 8.
