Soccer: NZ banking on help for Oceania

New Zealand Soccer (NZS) is anxiously awaiting word on Oceania's overtures to European governing body Uefa as the tiny south Pacific confederation today began life without Australia.

Fifa, soccer's world governing body, caught NZS by surprise when it ratified Australia's move to the Asia Football Confederation at its executive committee meeting in Germany.

An announcement had been expected in September, but Fifa fast-tracked the process today with all parties agreeing to the move.

NZS chief executive Graham Seatter is keen to learn of Uefa's response to Oceania's push for a participation agreement between the confederations.

Europe's backing would guarantee Oceania teams the consistent diet of warm-up matches they need to be competitive at World Cup tournaments.

Without Europe's co-operation, there are fears Oceania will be humiliated at Fifa's top tournaments and eventually lose the automatic entry they hold to all World Cups outside the senior men's finals.

Australia's departure is a double-edged sword for New Zealand.

While the main road block to World Cups has been removed, Seatter admits NZS does not have the money to fund extensive build-up campaigns.

"We don't have the budget to prepare our teams to the level we need to, so it is important (the Oceania-Uefa agreement succeeds) ... if we aren't competitive it will not only reflect poorly on our players, it will also reflect poorly on Oceania," Seatter said.

NZS is to approach Sparc and the New Zealand Olympic Committee for support ahead of likely starts in next year's under-20 women's World Cup in Russia and the senior women's World Cup and Olympic Games, both in Beijing, in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

The national under-15 boys' team preparing for next month's Manchester United Premier Cup in Hong Kong will also be kept in training over the summer ahead of qualifying for the next under-17 World Cup in 2007. The expansion of World Cup from 16 to 24 teams means Oceania has been handed a second automatic entry.

Seatter said NZS would face the same difficulty as Australia in finding matches for the All Whites outside Oceania.

"It has gone from very hard to extremely hard," he said.

"Not a lot changes really. We'll continue to play Australia annually and we'll continue to support Oceania because that's where our future lies, at least the short to medium term."

Seatter understands Oceania's qualifying path to the men's World Cup finals will continue via a home-and-away playoff with South America's fifth-ranked team.

- NZPA