Global Courant
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 team pictured before a friendly against Iceland in March
Two international matches were suspended on Monday after allegations of racist abuse.
New Zealand said they refused to play the second half against Qatar after saying Michael Boxall was abused by a Qatari player during the first half.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21’s friendly match with Kuwait also ended prematurely after an alleged racist remark.
The Football Association of Ireland said a Kuwait Under-22 player made the comment to a Republic substitute.
In a statement released Monday, the Kuwaiti FA denied the allegations.
Both matches took place in Austria, with New Zealand beating Qatar 1-0 in Vienna and Republic U21 going 3-0 against Kuwait in Bad Radkersburg before the match was abandoned.
“Michael Boxall was racially insulted during the first half of the game by a player from Qatar,” New Zealand wrote on their Twitter account.
“No official action has been taken, so the team has agreed not to come out for the second half of the game.”
The FAI said it will report the incident during the game in Kuwait to FIFA and UEFA.
“The FAI regrets announcing that today’s U21 international against Kuwait has been abandoned following a racist remark made by a Kuwaiti player to one of our substitutes,” the FAI statement said.
“The FAI will not tolerate any racism towards our players or staff and will report this serious matter to FIFA and UEFA.”
The Kuwaiti FA condemned their opponents’ announcement, saying the match was actually halted to “protect the players from possible injury” rather than because of racial abuse.
“The Kuwait Football Association confirms that the news being spread is false and categorically rejects such allegations, especially considering that the match was not completed due to excessive roughness and tension between players,” the statement said.
A FIFA spokesman said: “FIFA is waiting for the official reports before deciding on the next steps.
“FIFA has a zero-tolerance policy against any form of discrimination, as emphasized by FIFA’s president last week.”
Gianni Infantino has announced that Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr will lead a special anti-racism commission composed of players who will propose tougher penalties for discriminatory behavior in football.
