Soccer: NZ advocates Oceania-Asia deal

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The path trodden by the All Whites to the 1982 World Cup finals could be repeated if New Zealand Soccer can win over Oceania bosses at a meeting in Auckland today.

Humiliated by the way in which Fifa president Sepp Blatter robbed the Oceania Football Confederation of promised direct World Cup entry, New Zealand Soccer will propose a return to Asia as a means of winning through to Germany 2006.

Under the plan that NZS delegate Mark Burgess will take to the OFC executive meeting, Oceania will hand its half-place to Asia.

"What we would then want would be two places in Asia for Oceania," NZS chief executive Bill MacGowan said. "We want those two teams to join 18 Asian qualifiers in a 20-team competition chasing five places in Germany.

"We propose those 20 teams playing home and away in five groups of four, with the five group winners qualifying automatically.

"We feel that is a far fairer route than that taken [unsuccessfully] by the top Oceania team in the past when Australia have had to go head-to-head with countries such as Scotland, Iran and Uruguay chasing one place."

While the OFC will consider this proposal, it will also be aware of a proposal from Blatter which would mean one team each from Oceania, Asia, South America and North/Central America playing in a four-team tournament, with the top two teams winning through.


* The Football Kingz have welcomed another Australian to their ranks.

Central defender John Tambouras, 24, who most recently played at Greek first division club Kalamata, has signed with the Kingz, taking the roster to 14.

Also on their books are former All Whites Glen Collins, Brad Scott and Ross Nicholson and NZ under-20 international Chad Coombes.

Club chief executive Chris Turner has confirmed Michael Utting's signing. Also re-signed is Chilean Mauro Donoso - the first of four imports Turner says will be in the squad this season.

The 14 players are Mark Beldham, Mark Burton, Jeff Campbell, Jeremy Christie, Donoso, Harry Ngata, Jason Rowley, Utting, Darren Young, Collins, Tambouras, Scott, Nicholson and Coombes.

All have played internationally at some level.

Although Turner has been able to agree terms with most of the players, he was unable to reach agreement with last season's assistant coach, Stu Jacobs.

"He did a really good job," Turner said, "but financially we could not come to terms this time."

An initial list of 16 for the advertised general manager's job has been whittled down to two, but Turner will not say when the appointment will be made.