Latest news from Friends of Football
Qatar’s national football body says Yusuf Abdurisag denies using racist language against All Whites defender Michael Boxall during the abandoned match in Austria. Instead, the Qatar Football Association says Abdurisag has stressed that he was the victim of racial abuse … Read More
Football Ferns goalkeeper Vic Esson is the fourth subject of an eight-part documentary series that goes behind the scenes to help fans get to know New Zealand’s players ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This episode screened on Sky … Read More
Holders Auckland City will play Western Springs in the next round of the Chatham Cup, while former winners Cashmere Technical and Christchurch United will go head-to-head. At stake are spots in the quarter-finals of this year’s Chatham Cup, football’s oldest … Read More
National champions Eastern Suburbs will travel to Ellerslie for their Kate Sheppard Cup quarter-final next month. Fencibles United and Petone — the only two clubs in the cup not to have been past winners — were both given away ties, … Read More
New Zealand were leading 1-0 when their international friendly against Qatar was abandoned at half-time, when the All Whites refused to take the pitch. The New Zealand team were protesting the lack of action by officials after claims defender Michael … Read More
Football’s national body says it’s behind the All Whites who refused to continue their game against Qatar after allegations that one of their players had been racially abused. In a statement, New Zealand Football said: “In the 40th minute of … Read More
A brief exchange between two players sparked the controversial abandonment of New Zealand’s friendly international against Qatar after claims of racial abuse. All Whites defender Michael Boxall says a Qatari player racially abused him shortly before half-time in the game … Read More
New Zealand’s international friendly against Qatar has been abandoned after claims defender Michael Boxall had been racially abused by an opponent. The All Whites decided not to take the field for the second half after officials failed to take action … Read More
Western Springs’s executive committee and the club’s Women’s Premier League team say they have reached agreement on how to resolve their differences. In a joint statement released on the Western Springs website, the parties explain the mediation process they have … Read More
Former Wellington schoolboy Eugenio Pizutto has landed a contract with Mexican champions Tigres. Midfielder Pizutto (21) joins Tigres following an injury-disrupted spell with Portugal’s Sporting Clube de Braga B, the reserve team of SC Braga. AS Mexico reports Pizutto was … Read More
A player who learned how to coach youth players in New Zealand is reportedly set to join the coaching staff of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Chris Davies (38) is expected to join new manager Ange Postecoglou at the … Read More
Here are all the weekend’s top results from the Chatham Cup, Kate Sheppard Cup and leagues in the Northern and WaiBOP regions. The All Whites played Sweden in the first of two matches to be played in the June international … Read More
The Qatar Football Association have moved Tuesday’s international against New Zealand to a 5,000-capacity stadium about 100km outside of Vienna. The match between Qatar and the All Whites was originally scheduled to take place at the 15,000-capacity Generali Arena in … Read More
All Whites interim head coach Darren Bazeley says there’ll be changes — “but not wholesale changes” — in the line-up to face Qatar in Tuesday’s friendly international in Austria. Bazeley said a couple of players were “a little bit sore” … Read More
All Whites fans will be able to watch Tuesday’s friendly international against Qatar live on pay channel Sky Sport 1. It’s the second of two friendly internationals for New Zealand in the June window, with the game against Qatar on … Read More
A new website will help players by providing advice and resources needed to best prepare, perform, and recover whilst managing injury and load effectively. The Performance and Prevention Programme is a dedicated football education and resource hub that helps answer … Read More
Western Springs are through to the last eight of the Kate Sheppard Cup at the expense of holders Auckland United. Springs beat United 3-0 to complete the quarter-finalists for this year’s national knockout competition. Of the last eight clubs, only … Read More
Sky Sport pundit Jacob Spoonley says he expects coach Darren Bazeley to rotate his squad and maybe opt for a different formation when the All Whites play Qatar on Tuesday. The former All Whites goalkeeper says he sensed frustration in … Read More