THE Mexican Football Federation and Liga MX league announced yesterday the creation of a new set of guidelines to prevent and punish sexual harassment and other discrimination in football.  

“We are presenting a document that will be a roadmap when we talk about non-negotiable concepts on a day-to-day basis such as respect, tolerance and inclusion,” said Mikel Arriola, president of Liga MX.  

The FMF and Liga MX urged the top division’s 18 teams to adopt the protocol within six months.  

The code of conduct specifically prohibits sexual harassment and the harassment of women and people from the LGBT community, who are often targets of abuse. 

The new protocol identifies three different types of sexual and other harassment: physical, including unwanted kisses and touching; verbal, including offensive comments or jokes; and non-verbal, which concerns whistling, leering, and inappropriate behavior on social media.  

To comply with the code of conduct, each club must create a gender and diversity commission, ideally led by a woman. – AFP, July 11, 2023.