Soccer: Horse-trading nothing new for soccer's top strike force

Soccer's inordinate ability to shoot itself in the foot has been thoroughly documented.

This latest headline-grabbing saga - in which Oceania Football Confederation guru Charlie Dempsey managed to push Mark Todd from the front pages - is yet another controversy that the sport would happily, and hastily, like to forget.

Dempsey copped the flak in ducking for cover in perhaps the most contentious "non-decision" in his long and often stormy reign as boss of the world's fledgling footballing confederation.

But no one should be surprised over happenings at the 2006 World Cup vote in Zurich.

While delegates - Fifa executive members - represent their respective confederations, they remain, in essence, "free spirits" not bound to vote "under instruction."

International Olympic Committee members have that same freedom.

Though Tay Wilson is the New Zealander on the all-powerful IOC, he is under no obligation to New Zealand's Olympic Association to follow any instruction from it.

There is nothing in Fifa's statutes which compels executive members to vote on any issue.

Big-time sport - and not only soccer or the Olympics - is all about "horse-trading."

The "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" edict is nothing new.

As Josephine King, Dempsey's daughter and Oceania general-secretary, said at this week's media conference, "It is all about doing deals."

What is disturbing is that Government officials - who last year struggled to even recognise the importance of the world under-17 championships - have shown their naivety in calling for a revote and imploring New Zealand Soccer to apologise to South Africa for not giving their support to that country's bid.

New Zealand Soccer bosses have made it clear all along that they supported South Africa at the only vote taken [at May's Oceania Football Confederation executive meeting in Apia].

What part of that does New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark not understand?

Now it is time to look forward not back.

Dempsey is ready to hand on the reins.

Who picks them up from him on October 1 will, no doubt, come only after yet another round of "horse-trading."

Oceania's power base has been in New Zealand with the plush headquarters just a stone's throw from the Mt Smart Stadium (now Ericsson Stadium] ground which pitched the All Whites on to the world stage.

It is imperative that either New Zealand or Australia retain the presidency and with it the organisational structure.

While it is commendable that the smaller nations - at Dempsey's insistence - have been encouraged to play a major role in the confederation's affairs, none are yet ready to become the major player.

The recent Nations Cup tournament in Tahiti - probably the most developed of the island nations - showed there remain shortcomings in organisational and other skills needed to host such tournaments.

Australia has been a sometimes reluctant supporter of the Oceania Confederation but in current Soccer Australia chairman and confederation executive member Basil Scarsella, they have an administrator who understands the part the world's smallest federation can play on the global stage.

Hopefully Scarsella will get the nod in the presidency race and then pitch himself full-on to make sure all the good Dempsey achieved is not undone.