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Doha, June 20 (QNA) – Qatar Football Association (QFA) affirmed that no racial or discriminatory language was used or directed by player Yusuf Abdurisag Yusuf towards any player of the New Zealand team during the international friendly match against the New Zealand national team, which took place Monday, as part of a training camp by the Qatari national team in Austria.
In a statement on its website, the QFA said: “With reference to the “A” representative team match between Qatar and New Zealand played on 19 June 2023, the QFA would like to clarify the widespread media allegations as follows. QFAs player Yusuf Abdurisag Yusuf confirmed an exchange of words with an opponent – in the heat of the moment – shortly before half-time. Yusuf stressed that no racial or discriminatory language was used or directed towards any player of the New Zealand team. In the contrary, Yusuf stressed that, in fact, he himself was racially abused during the match.
“In any case, the QFA takes the allegations incredibly seriously and stands against racism in all its forms. The experience of racism should never be trivialised and remains a serious problem within the game. As such, the QFA encourages the international football community to do more to tackle racism and discrimination on and off the pitch.”
HE QFA President Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain in a statement on QFA website said: “Everyone at QFA stands with Yusuf Abdurisag Yusuf and strongly condemns the unwarranted attention he has received in the past 24 hours.
“The QFA has consistently promoted multicultural values in its programmes and initiatives, and for decades our national football team has competed around the world without any member, whether playing or non-playing, facing accusations of discriminatory behaviour. Furthermore, several athletic events have been held in Qatar without similar incidents. The QFA remains fully committed to supporting Yusuf at this time.” (QNA)
