Soccer: $8m carrot lures All Whites

A carrot of between US$5 million ($6.76 million) and US$6 million is dangling in front of the All Whites heading into tomorrow's World Cup qualifier, but New Zealand Football chairman Frank van Hattum is not getting carried away just yet.

"The amount that will be distributed to the 32 countries who qualify will not be known until much later," said van Hattum yesterday. "We know it will be considerable but we certainly don't want to pre-empt anything by making plans at this stage.

"Yes, we do have a plan but until we know the outcome, it remains nothing more than that. It is a significant sum of money and would be the icing on the cake for the players and the game.

"Football at all levels, from grassroots to the national team, would benefit if we are fortunate enough to get through but, again, we are not putting the cart before the horse.

"Our organisation is about sticking to a budget and a business plan. We are ready to prepare a board paper on how any money would be spent. It certainly would not be dished out willy-nilly."

While van Hattum, a veteran of the 1982 campaign, would dearly love to be in Bahrain for the opening leg, he has remained at home.

"I could not justify being there. It is money that would come off the bottom line," said van Hattum. "I felt it was more prudent to spend the money we had set aside on upgrading the players to business class and taking one or two extra players as cover.

"This is not a job for the boys, the chance to go and shake hands. It is about making the right calls.

"This is a campaign which has come down to 180 minutes but there is a lot more to our game than just the All Whites," he said. "We are running six or seven international teams. It is a very expensive business."

Van Hattum said, unlike occasions in the past, the relationship between the national organisation and the players is "very relaxed."

"It is about getting the planning right. We have a confidentiality agreement between New Zealand Football and the players - drawn up in conjunction with the Professional Footballs Association. Nobody is holding anyone to ransom."

And the result?

"I'm not allowed to have a bet but I'm quietly confident. A 2-1 win for us would be great," he said.