Scandal in an international match in Austria: The national team cancels the match

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

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

New Zealand accuses Qatar of “racial insult”

What exactly happened remains unclear at the moment. The New Zealanders wrote in a tweet: “Michael Boxall was subjected to racist abuse from a Qatari player in the first half. “No official action was taken, so the team agreed not to come out in the second half.”

The All Whites then outlined the incident in a statement posted on the association’s home page. This happened in the 40th minute and several New Zealand players heard the insult. The “officials” were informed of this, but no one took any action. For this reason, the team decided not to leave the locker room after the break.

New Zealand players receive support from the Football Association

New Zealand Football Association chief executive Andrew Pragnell supported his players’ actions, and was quoted in the statement: “We fully support our players who have decided to take this step.” “We never want to see a match cancelled, but some events 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 said after the absence that the New Zealand captain came to him at halftime to tell him that the white team would not continue the match. Portuguese Queiroz told the Qatar Sports Channel: “Apparently there was an exchange of words between two players on the field.” the cup“The New Zealand players decided to support their teammate. Our entire team decided to support our player.”

The referee did not hear the conversation, and Queiroz continued: “The benches, the coaches, no one heard anything. It was just a dispute between two players.” He expected the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to investigate the incident.(mcb/dpa)