Soccer: Oceania members turn on Dempsey

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Charlie Dempsey's wannabes gathered for the kill.

While Dempsey and his wife Annie prepared for their regular Sunday night bridge game with friends, four Oceania executive members held a media conference to express their disgust at the way Dempsey had flagrantly ignored instructions and virtually handed the 2006 World Cup to Germany.

At the same time they spared no time in putting their hand up as contenders to leap into Dempsey's presidential shoes.

"We do not want Oceania to be kicked around like a football," said executive member and Fiji Football Association president Muhammad Sahukhan.

"Charlie Dempsey was given a clear mandate at the Oceania executive meeting in Apia on May 22 that once England were eliminated from the World Cup race he should give the Oceania vote to South Africa.

"He should have complied with that. What is more disturbing is that he took advice from his lawyers and not his own executive. I am chairman of the OFC legal committee and had four years on Fifa's legal committee. I am the person he should have taken advice from.

"Article 2 (1) of the OFC statutes says every member is bound to follow the decisions of the executive committee. Mr Dempsey says he was under threat and that there were allegations of bribes. I don't accept that. It is absolute nonsense."

Sahukhan said that three days before the vote, he and other OFC members were asked by Dempsey's daughter, Josephine King, to give Dempsey a free vote.

"I didn't agree with that. We are here to run Oceania and say how we want it run.

"It was an injustice for Mr Dempsey to abstain. I was told it [the World Cup vote] was going to be neck and neck. I don't accept the lame excuses being used to justify Mr Dempsey's actions.''

Sahukhan said members could not shift the goal posts to suit Dempsey.

"You are not talking 200 or even 300 votes. This was not a Fifa presidential vote. There were just 24. If I'm not voting for country 'A' then I'm voting against country 'A.' If he had voted there would have been a tie.

"If he had taken seriously an unsigned letter poked under his hotel door why did he vote for England? Why? Why not just go and play golf? Then there is this question of bribery. What absolute nonsense."

Sahukhan is concerned that when Oceania members - including three delegates from all 11 Oceania nations - front up at the August 4 Fifa congress in Zurich they will have to face the music.

"I do not want this to become an Olympic-like scandal and that our 11 members can be branded as corrupt. I feel very sorry for New Zealand Soccer," he said.

"Dempsey has made it clear he will retire, but the embarrassment will still come at the Fifa congress.''

OFC vice-president Johnny Tinsley Lulu (Vanuatu), who joined Sahukhan, Lee Harmon (Cook Islands) and Tahiti's Armand Colombani at the hastily arranged media conference, said: "I'm not clear about his excuses. His [Dempsey] statement today is not correct. I feel there must be something else.

"It is not the duty of the Government of New Zealand to apologise to South Africa. The OFC has been dragged into a political position. Because of this we are the ones who should be apologising to South Africa."

Sahukhan said: "I hold the view that Charlie Dempsey should write to South Africa and explain quite clearly his actions and apologise."

Tinsley Lulu, Sahukhan and Australian OFC member Basil Scarsella are expected to be the contenders for the presidency.