Soccer: NZ Soccer staying out of Football Kingz drama

By TERRY MADDAFORD


New Zealand Soccer are staying out of the off-field dramas at the Football Kingz.

But NZS have reiterated that there will be no management or financial involvement on its part in the administration of the struggling National Soccer League club.

Chief executive Bill MacGowan intends to talk to Kingz general manager Peter Cox when he returns to work from a short break today but says any comment on the situation is more likely to come from the club than the national association.

Deposed coach Ken Dugdale is determined to stay in football but has no idea where. After resigning from the Football Kingz and being released by the club despite having three months of his contract to run, Dugdale yesterday admitted he "is actively looking for a job".

But he is unlikely to wait until the revamped New Zealand national league kicks off late next year before going back to work.

"I can't afford to wait that long," said Dugdale, who this weekend celebrates his 53rd birthday. "I'll stay in football. It is basically all I have done since I last worked in the private sector when I was in Wanganui about 10 years ago.

"I prefer a hands-on coaching role at whatever level. I want to continue working with players."

Dugdale, who holds an Oceania level three coaching badge, and says "at my age you don't go looking for coaching qualifications", said one options was a return to Norway, where he was coaching before being brought back to replace Kevin Fallon at the Kingz before the 2002-03 season.

"At the end of the day I have to work. I would prefer to stay in this neck of the woods."

While he has been reluctant to be drawn into the issues surrounding his decision to leave, Dugdale said there had been "good support for me and the stand I took".

He had not spoken to founder/chairman Chris Turner since last Thursday night when the issues surrounding last weekend's game in Melbourne came to a head.