Dignified exit for Dempsey

By TERRY MADDAFORD and AUDREY YOUNG

Oceania soccer head Charlie Dempsey survived a call for his immediate sacking only because two delegates did not make yesterday's crisis meeting over his World Cup no-vote.

The 79-year-old New Zealand administrator will instead retire on October 1.

He has been under worldwide attack since his abstention from the Fifa vote in Zurich last week effectively gave the 2006 World Cup tournament to Germany instead of South Africa.

Prime Minister Helen Clark, who yesterday said she was still distressed by Dempsey's decision, said he should have been sacked instead of being allowed a dignified exit.

"It's a fact that a New Zealander has done a very stupid thing that reflects on our country."

She urged Fifa to rerun the vote - "If there is any way of readdressing it, it should be readdressed."

The Prime Minister was unhappy that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not briefed the Government on such a significant vote, which she said had ramifications far beyond the sports world.

Dempsey has said he will explain publicly today why he defied his confederation's instructions to vote for South Africa once England were knocked out.

At a closed Oceania confederation meeting in Auckland yesterday, it is understood that Fijian delegate Dr Muhammad Sahukhan led the call for Dempsey to resign immediately "for the integrity of Oceania."

But the delegates voted 5-4 in favour of letting him hang on to the post until the confederation's October congress in Sydney.

The vote would almost certainly have gone against him had the Papua New Guinea delegate, Madiu Andrew, who lost his passport, or Solomon Islands representative Adrian Wickham, caught up in his country's political crisis, attended.

The New Zealand soccer representative, Mark Burgess, is understood to have voted for Dempsey to stay on. He said that although Dempsey's position was untenable because of his refusal to follow the executive's wishes, "it was...only fair to let a man who had worked so hard for Oceania for two or three decades go out in a fitting manner."

Dempsey told the Herald yesterday that he had intended to retire immediately on his return on Saturday from the World Cup vote in Zurich after talking to family and friends.

But given the controversy which erupted, he did not want to be seen as "running away."

Dempsey will explain his actions at a news conference this morning, but he is unlikely to do much more than re-emphasise his position of being under "intolerable pressure," including being the target of a bribe offer.

A German satirical magazine has since admitted responsibility for sending hoax bribe letters to Fifa delegates, including Dempsey, offering gifts such as a cuckoo clock for a yes vote for Germany.

Auckland lawyer Peter Clapshaw, who will be with Dempsey when he reads a prepared statement today, last night confirmed that he had spoken some time ago about stepping aside from the presidency.

"His health was starting to suffer with all the travel and pressure the job entailed. He told me he wasn't going to see out his term [until 2002]. The travel he has had to undertake would kill most people.

"A lot of people have jumped to conclusions. The tragedy is that he and his wife, Annie, have been subjected to a lot of abuse. They don't deserve that."

Mrs Dempsey, who was making a sugar-free cake for her besieged husband yesterday afternoon, said she had been hounded by journalists all weekend, including two reporters from a Sunday newspaper who had approached her in the driveway after dark.

Even before yesterday's announcement, she had wanted her husband to resign because of the stress, travel and other demands of the job. Last night, the couple were trying to get away from the controversy by playing bridge with friends.

Dempsey said he felt relieved after returning from the confederation meeting: "The travel is getting me down."

His top priority for life after football will be a life on the golf course, but his wife has other ideas.

"I've got a list of jobs around here that need doing. You can start with cleaning the car."

Dempsey said he struggled to understand why his one vote was apparently seen as being far more important than the four cast by the Asians in favour of Germany.

"They switched, but nothing has been aimed at them. When I went to Fifa [for the vote] there was no indication of what was ahead. I never knew so much would be attached to the voting. South Africa was supposed to be home and hosed.

"I stopped reading all the newspapers. For 36 years I have served Oceania and football but I was in a no-win situation. I could have voted for Germany or South Africa and taken the consequences. The third option was to abstain.

"With all that was going on [including bribes] it was advisable I remained neutral. I read out a letter from my legal adviser Peter Clapshaw - and another Auckland lawyer and friend - before the meeting began. No one asked me at that time for any clarification."

After the first ballot, in which Morocco was eliminated, they voted again. England was eliminated.

"It was obvious England was going to drop out," said Dempsey. "I left the meeting - as had been arranged some time ago - and went to Singapore.

"It was not until I asked a porter at the hotel there that I knew the result. There were 23 votes, so how was I to know what would happen? But I was a little bit surprised.

"I know there was a lot of lobbying going on, but I can't prove who switched [their vote]."

Fiji's Dr Sahukhan said he was horrified by Dempsey's decision and had spoken to him "in very strong terms."

"He was given a very clear mandate at the Oceania executive meeting in Apia on May 22 that once England dropped out of the race for the 2006 World Cup then the Oceania vote should go to South Africa. There is no question about that whatsoever."

The honorary South African consul in New Zealand, Gregory Fortuin, said in an open letter that Dempsey had arrogantly acted for his friends, ahead of the country he had been pledged to support.

Dempsey, however, has also received his share of support. Fifa vice-president and Scottish lawyer David Will said people had to appreciate "that no one knew [at the time of the vote] how crucial his abstention was to be. In other circumstances, an abstention might have passed practically without comment.

"My anxiety is to see Charlie Dempsey portrayed as the honourable man that he is, and not some villain who in some way betrayed his confederation."