New Zealand pulled out of game against Qatar Carlos Queiroz over alleged racist slur

A private game between Qatar, coached by Portuguese Carlos Queiroz, and New Zealand was only halfway through, after the New Zealand team failed to return after a break, claiming footballer Michael Boxall had been subjected to a racist slur.

In a short note posted on Twitter, the New Zealand federation said that Michael Boxall was subjected to “racial abuse” by an opponent during the first part of the match and that the referee did nothing when the complaint was filed against him. which is why who decided to abandon the match after the break.

At the Austrian stage, New Zealand were leading 1-0 thanks to a 17-minute goal from FC Copenhagen’s Danish midfielder Marko Stamenic.

In an interview with Qatari TV, Carlos Queiroz was surprised by New Zealand’s decision, given that it was based on an alleged event with no witnesses.

“During the break, the New Zealand captain informed us that they had decided not to return to the game. The facts are as follows: apparently, the two players exchanged words, who said first, who said later, it’s just between them. Zealand decided to support their teammate and, of course, our whole team supported our player, but the New Zealand headquarters decided to leave the game without witnessing what happened,” the Qatar coach explained.

The Portuguese coach also claimed that in fact no one heard anything: “The referee, the benches, the coaches – no one heard. It was just a discussion between two players, and I think this is a new chapter that no one understands for sure. Now let’s leave football. the authorities decide what happened in this friendly game. I think that this case will be under the supervision of FIFA. I asked the coach, the referees, no one heard anything, so apparently without witnesses, I don’t know how FIFA will deal with this situation.”