KEY POINTS:
FIFA president Sepp Blatter is giving Oceania clubs two more years to improve significantly or be cut from the Club World Cup.
But there are mixed messages coming out of Japan about whether the Wellington Phoenix would be eligible for the O-League and, therefore, the Club World Cup.
Blatter and Fifa executives met Oceania officials in Japan yesterday to relay the 'two more years' message. Blatter had been concerned about the quality of the Oceania entrant for the past two years and reiterated earlier in the week the need for the Club World Cup to be contested by professional teams only.
Auckland City and Waitakere United, both amateur outfits, have played in the last two competitions, although Waitakere lost a qualifier to Iranian side Sepahan 3-1 last weekend after Oceania weren't deemed worthy of direct entry.
"It's going to be a case of two more strikes and then you are out and that's a fair compromise," Oceania spokesman Gordon Glen-Watson said. "That's a positive and fair strategy but we obviously need to improve significantly to avoid this happening."
The decision means the O-League winner will again play a qualifier with the Japanese champions or the Asian Champions League runner-up if a Japanese side wins the Asian title. Japan is hosting the next two Club World Cups.
The call for the Phoenix to be eligible for the O-League has long been held by New Zealand Football and also appears to have the backing of several Oceania countries.
The O-League attracts big crowds in the island nations, with more than 10,000 fans not uncommon at matches.
The O-League is a vital part of Oceania's programme, as is the US$1.5 million they receive for competing at the Club World Cup.
The O-League champions collect US$500,000 of this, which is why NZFC sides have fought so hard to stop the Phoenix from taking part.
But given the current depth of talent in Oceania, it's difficult to see how the amateur sides can improve sufficiently without forking out vast sums of money they don't have.
"It's a hell of a challenge if it's going to be restricted to amateur sides," New Zealand Football chief executive Graham Seatter said.
"It will be interesting to see how Oceania are going to bridge that gap."
