Scandal at an international match in Austria: the national team interrupted the match

The test match between Qatar and New Zealand in Austria was canceled after 45 minutes on Monday evening. The reason for this is allegations of racism.

Ritzingen – The test match between the national teams of New Zealand and Qatar – host of the 2022 Winter World Cup – ended in Austria on Monday night. The reason: New Zealand player Michael Boxall was said to have been “racially insulted” by a Qatari player. The New Zealand Football Association announced this Monday evening via Twitter.

New Zealand accuses Qatar of “racist slurs”.

What exactly happened remained unclear for the time being. And the New Zealanders wrote in a tweet: “Michael Boxall was racially insulted by a Qatari player in the first half. No official action was taken, so the team agreed not to participate again in the second half.”

In a statement posted to the association’s website, the All Whites set out the incident a bit more. It happened in the 40th minute and many New Zealand players heard the insult. The “officials” were informed, but no one acted. That is why the team decided not to come out of the dressing room after the break.

New Zealand players receive support from the Football Association

Football New Zealand president Andrew Pragnell supported his players’ action: “We fully support our players who have decided to take this step,” the statement read. “We never want to give up a game, but some incidents are bigger than football and it’s important to get your point across.” There is no place for racism in football.

Qatar coach Carlos Queiroz explained after the stoppage that the New Zealand captain came to him at halftime to tell him that the white team would not continue the match. “It seems that there was an exchange of words between two players on the field,” Portuguese Queiroz told Qatar Sports Radio. the cup: “The New Zealand players decided to support their teammates. Our whole team decided to support our player.”

The referee did not hear the verbal exchange of blows, Queiroz continued, “The benches, the coaches, nobody heard anything. It was just an argument between two players.” FIFA is expected to investigate the incident.(msb/dpa)