The message was clear from FIFA president Gianni Infantino last week: “There is no football if there is racism! So let’s stop the games.”

That is what happened twice in international friendly games on Monday.

New Zealand and the Ireland Under-21 team both refused to continue playing after alleging players heard racially offensive comments from opponents Qatar and Kuwait.

New Zealand abandoned its game against Qatar at halftime in Austria after accusing a Qatari player of making a racist comment to defender Michael Boxall, who is of Samoan heritage.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Football New Zealand said the team refused to play the second half when the referee declined to take action. New Zealand was leading 1-0 in Ritzing.

The Irish soccer federation said its Under-21 team’s game against the Kuwait Olympic team was stopped “after a racist remark was made by a Kuwaiti player towards one of