All Whites defender Michael Boxall was allegedly the victim of racial abuse from a Qatar player. Photo / Photosport
All Whites defender Michael Boxall was allegedly the victim of racial abuse from a Qatar player. Photo / Photosport
New Zealand Football (NZF) will be seeking dialogue with the top brass at Fifa in the wake of the racial incident in the All Whites match on Tuesday, which prompted the team to abandon the match against Qatar.
The squad refused to take the field in the secondhalf of the international friendly in Austria, in a show of solidarity, after defender Michael Boxall was the target of an alleged racist slur just before the break.
No action was taken by the referee - despite lengthy protests by several New Zealand players who had heard the comment - which eventually led to the playing group taking their stand.
Such an action, which is rare though not unprecedented, will result in a Fifa investigation, especially given the media attention it will garner around the football world.
But NZF wants to be proactive, with chief executive Andrew Pragnell planning to contact Fifa president Gianni Infantino directly to convey his concerns.
“It was only a week ago that Gianni said there’s absolutely no place whatsoever for racism in football and zero tolerance and the game should stop and that’s exactly what happened,” Pragnell told the Herald.
“I appreciate that it’s not solely at the referee’s insistence here, but that’s exactly what took place. So I think there’s a real chance for us to engage with the top end of Fifa on this.”
All Whites defender Michael Boxall was allegedly the victim of racial abuse from a Qatar player. Photo / Photosport
Last week Infantino announced that Fifa would be bringing back its anti-racism taskforce - which was disbanded in 2016 - with Real Madrid star Vincius Junior, who has been subjected to racial abuse numerous times in the Spanish La Liga, taking a prominent role.
“It’s very important not just to talk about racism and discrimination, but to take action in a decisive and convincing manner - zero tolerance,” said Infantino in a statement. “There is no football if there is racism.”
The incident happened in the 40th minute of the first half, after Qatari winger Yusuf Abdurisag went to ground near the New Zealand penalty area following a slight body check by All Whites midfielder Joe Bell.
Boxall - who is part-Samoan - approached Abdurisag and the two exchanged words, before the alleged racial insult was delivered. That prompted a furious reaction from many of the All Whites, who also pleaded with the referee Manuel Schuttengruber to take action.
Those requests were waved away, before captain Bell had another discussion with Schuttengruber as the two teams left the field for halftime, with the All Whites ahead 1-0 through a 17th minute Marko Stamenic goal.
Back in New Zealand, Pragnell took a phone call just before 5am from one of the team’s staff members, who explained what had happened and informed him of the step the squad was about to take.
“I was 100 per cent in support of it, in light of understanding what had happened on the field,” said Pragnell. “It was obviously a really big and bold move. But also a significant incident that had taken place and the team were very unified on that decision.”
New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell. Photo / Photosport
Pragnell didn’t what to go into details about how the process unfolded - with more information still to come from the team - but confirmed it was a decision made ultimately by the players, though the coaches and support staff were part of the dialogue.
There wasn’t a vote as such but it was a decisive call, before Bell walked across to the Qatari dressing room to tell them the match was over.
Pragnell wouldn’t confirm the nature of the abuse directed towards Boxall.
“I won’t repeat it,” said Pragnell. “[But] it was very significant and abhorrent and has no place in football.”
It’s not known if alternative courses of action were discussed before the team took such a drastic step, but Pragnell didn’t believe it was a rash move.
“It’s a global issue for football. And too often things aren’t done or can’t be done after the match. It was a really significant stand, but it sends a strong message around the world around football leadership needing to do more in this space.”
There would be an extended debrief on what unfolded - “there’s always lessons” - but Pragnell said he “deeply” trusted the judgement of the players.
“They’re very much a values-based group who stand up for what they believe in.”
Pragnell hopes the dramatic incident can highlight the ongoing issue and lead to improvements in dealing with intolerant behaviour on the field or in the grandstands.
“I guess the question is, are we doing enough? Is there enough use of technology to be able to police this, particularly when it is vile abuse and heard by numerous people on the field, rather than leaving one referee to police it. Because I don’t think anyone accepts that we should just get on with it.”
Fifa will now compile reports from both NZF and the Qatari association, as well as the referee.
Pragnell conceded that New Zealand could face financial sanctions over the failure to complete the match.
“Fifa will want to get a better understanding of what took place and how it took place. It’s not out of the question though.”
