"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," New Zealand Football (NZF), the country's governing body, said in a statement. New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell said the New Zealand players agreed collectively to abandon the game and the governing body fully supported them. "The New Zealand players decided to support their team mate and we also decided to support our player. Then came the incident that will go down in New Zealand football notoriety.

Source: New Zealand Herald June 19, 2023 21:34 UTC