KEY POINTS:
The fallout from the decision to dock Auckland City the New Zealand Football Championship points they picked up in Sunday's 1-0 away win over Waitakere United remains a talking point.
But stripping the three points after City played James Pritchett, who the national body decreed as being ineligible, might only be the start.
The outcome of City's appeal - almost certain to be lodged within the stipulated seven-day period - will make for interesting reading, with the aggrieved party confident of overturning the New Zealand Soccer ruling.
NZS, which made the call without reference to its legal affiliates, is just as confident of its position and will be hoping to avoid another potential stand-off.
When the national side to contest the Oceania under-20 qualifiers in January is named, some NZFC clubs are certain to lose players, which could again open another can of worms.
"There will be no dispensation for any clubs who have players called into the under-20 squad," said NZFC league manager Glyn Taylor yesterday.
"They will be playing in a Fifa-sanctioned tournament. As such, players selected for the national side can't play during the time of the tournament unless otherwise agreed."
Pritchett was originally selected to play with New Zealand A in Vietnam but withdrew at the 11th hour after sustaining a thigh injury. He recovered a few days later and played last Sunday.
But there will, Taylor agrees, be changes to the NZFC draw later in the season to allow Auckland City to play their Oceania Champions League home and away fixtures.
"Obviously, we will make the necessary changes to make certain [Auckland] meet their [Oceania] commitments. It could affect two or three fixtures," Taylor said.
A second NZFC team could be called in to the Champions League.
Oceania Football Confederation general secretary Tai Nicholas confirmed this week there were some doubts over Vanuatu club Port Vila Sharks and their ability to host matches.
"We have gone back to remind them of the minimum requirements they must meet in terms of stadium and other facilities to host these important matches," said Nicholas. "Initially we had real concerns that they would struggle to meet them, but now I feel it is probably 60-40 they will be ready."
A final decision will be made at the OFC congress in Papeete on November 15.
Calling in a second NZFC team is an option but would make a redraw necessary, as Port Vila are in the same group as Auckland City.
This week's media briefing in Auckland, ahead of next month's Fifa Club World Cup in Japan, further underlined the enormity of the task facing City on the international stage.
It is a challenge they are preparing to meet head on - but with no illusions of just how difficult it will be.
Club chairman Ivan Vuksich, who will head the club's delegation to Japan, said while these are exciting times for the club and players, there is an underlying need to perform.
"We know just what our appearance in the tournament means," said Vuksich. "We must get credible results.
"Losing two games 6-0 would do nothing for clubs in this part of the world and could put the future participation by Oceania teams in jeopardy. That alone is incentive enough for us to do well. It is a challenge we are looking forward to."
Coach Roger Wilkinson and captain Neil Sykes gave much the same message at the well-attended briefing, with both speaking of their determination to carry the NZFC and Oceania flags high in a tournament which, for 10 days, will be the focus of attention for soccer clubs around the world.
