Defender Michael Boxall has spoken for the first time about the alleged racist slurs aimed towards him that resulted in the All Whites abandoning their match against Qatar.
Leading 1-0, the NZ men refused to come out of for the second half, protesting comments made by Qatari wing Yousuf Abdurisag. The game was eventually called off.
Speaking to the Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he plays for Major League Soccer's Minnesota United, Boxall has refused to reveal the exact nature of the abuse, but said it was unacceptable. He confirms it wasn't directed at his Samoan heritage.
"It's one of those things," he said. "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.
"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.
"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."
Boxall adds there were "4-5 guys around the ball that were definitely in earshot".
After the match was called off, Qatar's footballing body was quick to defend Abdurisag, releasing a statement that claimed the defender had been the target of abuse.
Boxall doesn't expect to receive any apology.
"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."
Minnesota United coach Adrian Heath is confident the centre-back has already put the incident behind him.
"You know what [Boxall] is like, he just wants to move on," Heath said. "It's something that shouldn't have happened.
"It happened and [the All Whites] made their point, and it was a valid one. It got the world's press involved and anything that highlights that 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."
