In the 40th minute of the New Zealand vs Qatar game today in Austria, a Qatari player used a racial slur towards All Whites defender Michael Boxall after a confrontation between the two players.

The racial slur was heard by several New Zealand players, including Boxall.

The players reported the incident, but no official action was taken.

At half-time, with the All Whites leading 1-0 in the fixture, given that no official action was taken, the team collectively agreed that they would not continue with the match.

New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell said:

“We fully support the action of our players, who agreed collectively this course of action.

“We never want to see a match abandoned but some issues are bigger than football and it is important to make a stand.

“There is no room for racism in football.”

Article added: Tuesday 20 June 2023