Soccer: Australians want Oceania team to join Kingz in NSL

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Encouraged by the success of the Football Kingz in their first National Soccer League season, Soccer Australia chairman Basil Scarsella is keen to see a team from Oceania's island nations given the same opportunity.

Scarsella, a contender for the Oceania Football Confederation presidency following Charlie Dempsey's premature departure, believes the development of the confederation's smaller nations is imperative if football in this part of the world is to build on Dempsey's pathfinding work.

"We should be looking to unite all OFC countries," said Scarsella. "It should never become a case of them and us.

"I have a real respect for the work being done in the islands and the improvement they are bringing to the playing field. Continuing that is paramount if the OFC is to get stronger."

Scarsella, likely to square off against stand-in president Johnny Tinsley Lulu in the presidential race on October 1, is well-equipped to pick up the reins dropped by Dempsey.

There have been suggestions that if Vanuatu's Tinsley Lulu wins that ballot, he would not be the OFC representative on the all-powerful Fifa executive, preferring to hand that role to Fiji's Dr Mohammed Sahu Kahn.

That might not be in the confederation's best interest, as many top-level decisions are made on a president-to-president basis.

As Soccer Australia boss, Scarsella oversaw a huge turnaround as the federation wiped out $A3 million debt in just two years. Given the opportunity, he would look to bring the same expertise to the OFC, pledging whole-hearted support.

"I would not take it on if I did not have the time to do it properly," said Adelaide-based Scarsella, who is chief executive of the electricity utility in South Australia.

He dismisses suggestions that if he won the OFC headquarters would move from Auckland.

"I certainly don't see any need for that. The OFC headquarters should remain in Auckland. They were built primarily because of Charlie Dempsey's efforts in obtaining the funding and they should stay put. Auckland is a more convenient base for the island countries than any Australian city."

The OFC executive meeting in Sydney on Saturday will include the preparation of papers to press the Football Kingz' licence application.

If asked, Scarsella would happily take that to Fifa.