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Michael Boxall has broken his silence after the All Whites abandoned their match against Qatar amid claims he was the subject to a “significant” racial slur.
Qatar winger Yousuf Abdurisag made a comment to Boxall, who is of Samoan heritage, which angered the All Whites and led to a melee at the end of first half on Tuesday (NZ time). The All Whites did not return for the second half.
In an interview with the Star Tribune in Minnesota, where Boxall plays his club football, the defender wouldn’t reveal the nature of the slur, but said it was unacceptable.
“It’s one of those things, I’m pretty competitive and I say a lot of things that I wouldn’t want my kids to hear, but that’s certainly crossing the line,” he said. “It’s not something I’d ever say.
“I didn’t really take great offence to it, but I think it’s one of those things you can’t allow on a football field,” Boxall added. “I’m sure it’s a slur he uses colloquially every day, but when it’s directed at another player on the field, you can’t get away with that.
“It’s not something I take personally. … I’m proud of my teammates for taking the stand they did.”
Following the match, Qatar leapt to the defence of Abdurisag, claiming that he too had been the subject of abuse.
Boxall said he had heard nothing from the Qataris, and he wasn’t holding his breath on that front.
Christian Hofer/PHOTOSPORT
From left, All Whites Bill Tuiloma, Michael Boxall and Joe Bell react to Qatar No 11 Yousuf Abdurisag.
“I’m sure if you’ve seen their statement, you wouldn’t expect anything,” he said.
“I’ve moved on and I’m ready to get back to work. We’ve taken that stand, and now it’s out of our control and just let the powers that be sort everything out now.”
Boxall’s club coach Adrian Heath also said the centre-back wanted to put the incident behind him.
“You know what ‘Boxy’ is like, he just wants to move on,” Heath said.
“It’s something that shouldn’t have happened. It happened and [the New Zealand team] made their point and it was a valid one. It got the world’s press involved and anything that highlights they type of thing is good, the racism and negativity of that.
“It’s not just in the game, but society as a whole. It’s sad in this day and age we’re still talking about this, but that’s the way it is.”
Boxall also confirmed that were multiple witnesses heard Abdurisag’s comment. “We had four, five guys around the ball that were definitely in earshot,” Boxall said. “You can see the video, see the reaction.”
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