Football game New Zealand vs Qatar descends into chaos after player Boxall was allegedly racially insulted

New Zealand’s football friendly against Qatar has descended into utter chaos, with All Whites defender Michael Boxall claiming racist abuse and inaction by matchday officials.

The All Whites took the extraordinary step of refusing to come back at half time in a game they were leading 1-0.

NZ Football (NZF) posted a brief statement on its social media channels shortly after their protest.

“Michael Boxall was racially insulted during the first half of the match by a player from Qatar,” it read.

“No official action has been taken, so the team has agreed not to come out for the second half of the game.”

Boxall, 34, is of Kiwi and Samoan descent and plays his club soccer for Minnesota United in the US

Football legend Tim Cahill was involved in the drama on the Qatar sidelines when he worked as one of coach Carlos Queiroz’s assistants.

The flashpoint came after a free kick late in the first half, following a foul on Qatar’s Yusuf Abdurisag.

Abdurisag was then reported to have made comments against Boxall, leading several All Whites, including Boxall, to protest to the player and referee.

The friendly match was played at the Sonnenseestadion, in Ritizing in Austria, under the direction of Austrian referee Manuel Schuttengruber.

Captain Joe Bell protested Schuttengruber as they left the field before halftime, when the All Whites decided not to return.

The broadcast did not capture the comments, which players and NZ Football chose not to share.

NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell said the All Whites should be proud of their actions.

“It was a joint decision by the entire planning group. They were firm and adamant,” he said.

Boxall (pictured, playing against the Socceroos in 2022) also represented Wellington Phoenix in the A-League

“It’s a values-based group of players that we’re really proud of.”

Pragnell added that NZ Football would take the matter ‘proactively’ with FIFA.

“It’s an important incident, both in terms of the racist abuse and the impact it had on our team,” he said.

New Zealand led the game through Marko Stamenic’s 17th-minute goal.

Commentator and former All Whites goalkeeper Jacob Spoonley said Boxall, the captain of MLS side Minnesota United, was “a man of great integrity, tolerance and patience.”

“To garnish this response from him, I really raised my eyebrows. To hear the details of the allegations being made by this All Whites team, I can fully understand why this action was taken,” he said.

Boxall is of Kiwi and Samoan descent.

Boxall had the support of his All Whites teammates, who refused to play the second half against Qatar after the alleged racist slur on the pitch

Qatar coach Quieroz closed ranks around his team shortly after the stoppage, saying it was “something no one can understand.”

“Apparently two players on the pitch exchanged words… the New Zealand players, they decided to support his team-mate, as it is clear that our whole team decided to support our player,” he said.

“I think this matter will certainly be under the supervision of FIFA.”

The NZ government and Kiwi Players Union (NZPFA) also gave their support.

NZPFA stands unequivocally behind its players. We commend and support the balanced response of our players in this challenging situation,” the NZPFA tweeted.

“There is no room for racism in our sport.”