KEY POINTS:
Charlie Dempsey might be the father of Oceania and the driving force behind the All Whites' remarkable run to the 1982 World Cup but he will always remembered as the man who didn't vote.
His abstention, as everyone was told, cost South Africa the hosting of the 2006 World Cup and handed the event to Germany. It is an unfair legacy but the world was looking for a scapegoat and Dempsey was an easy target.
It is true the Oceania executive instructed Dempsey to vote for South Africa once England was inevitably dropped from the race but what is less known is the fact that the same executive later gave Dempsey the authority to vote as his conscience told him to.
There are official documents at Oceania HQ that confirm this even though a handful of Oceania delegates denied it soon after the controversy erupted.
Dempsey came under "intolerable pressure", he said, as the likes of Nelson Mandela and the German chancellor, as well as men in Fifa blazers, urged him to do this or that.
With millions at stake, he was naive to think he wouldn't be subjected to this sort of treatment, especially as Oceania's single vote was crucial. He later said he simply wanted to remain friends with the world football community and felt abstention was the best way to achieve this.
What is also not well known is that Dempsey alerted the powerful Fifa executive he would abstain from voting once, or if, England was knocked out of the race. Not one of the remaining 23 members complained about this at the time because there was a belief South Africa still had the numbers.
When they didn't win, Dempsey became a convenient scapegoat. It was his fault, apparently, and some on the executive said it was outrageous he was allowed to abstain. The fact Dempsey resigned soon after seemed to suggest he recognised he had done wrong.
Little was made of the fact two Asian nations switched their vote to Germany at the 11th hour or the contention that German businesses are now operating in those countries.
Dempsey was not without his faults. He was a belligerent character who knew only one way - his way.
His actions, though, actually worked to the benefit of Oceania. They were still friends with the rest of the world and other confederations realised that on an executive and wider congress who often vote as regional blocs, Oceania's vote(s) was crucial.
One Oceania official said last week they became the New Zealand First of world football - the king-makers. Dempsey would have liked that analogy. After all, he was king of New Zealand and Oceania football for so long.
OLY-WHITES coach Stu Jacobs will know tomorrow whether he will have Blackburn skipper Ryan Nelsen for his Olympic campaign.
Jacobs was optimistic about Nelsen's involvement until former Blackburn boss Mark Hughes joined Manchester City. Paul Ince has since taken over and Jacobs said he "isn't holding out too much hope" because Nelsen will want to impress Ince to maintain his place in the side.
If Nelsen is ruled out, Jacobs will have only two out of a maximum three over-age players for the under-23 tournament (Chris Killen and Simon Elliott) because Tony Lochhead and Shane Smeltz will not be released by Wellington Phoenix. Olympic regulations require prospective athletes to be registered and accredited by now.
