Soccer: Oceania winner retains direct entry to club champs

The winner of May's Oceania Club Championship has been given direct entry to this year's World Club Championship in Japan after all.

While that was the original intention, Fifa president Sepp Blatter called for a change which would have had the Oceania champion pitted against the winner of Japan's J-League for a place in the six-team Toyota Cup world finals.

However, Blatter failed to win support for his proposal at this month's Fifa executive meeting and the status quo remains, and with it the guaranteed minimum US$1 million payout.

"The direct entry provision will remain in place this year," said Oceania Football Confederation general secretary Tai Nicholas yesterday. "There will be a review the next year."

It is understood that Toyota, as the championship sponsors, wanted to ensure there would be a Japanese presence in the tournament, which is contested by the top club teams from Fifa's six confederations.

Auckland City, as winners of the New Zealand Football Championship, are guaranteed a place in the OFC play-offs at North Harbour Stadium.

They will be joined by a second team - either the winner of the April 22 grand final or, if City win that, YoungHeart Manawatu as the second-placed NZFC team.

City, who played in last year's Oceania Club Championship and were narrowly beaten by Sydney FC, have the strength to do well with a number of present or former internationals.

They can call on James Pritchett, Ross Nicholson, Paul Urlovic, Riki van Steeden, Jonathan Perry and Keryn Jordan (who has played for South Africa).

* The national under-20 women's team kick off their Oceania championship in Apia, Samoa, tomorrow.

They are playing in an eight-team, two-group tournament with the winner gaining direct entry to the Fifa World Championship in Russia from August 17 to September 3.

* Plans to play an Oceania beach soccer qualifier in May have been put back to later in the year in Tahiti with the winner qualifying to play off against an Asian team for a place in the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup in Brazil in November.

"We are not too far ahead with our planning at this stage," said New Zealand Soccer chief executive Graham Seatter yesterday. "But we will definitely start playing matches to prepare for Tahiti."

In January the national under-20 team under coach Stu Jacobs and with Sean Douglas as his assistant will play the Oceania qualifiers with the winner going to the World Championship in Canada in June-July.

The national under-17s will be in Tahiti next March for their qualifying tournament with that winner having direct entry to the World Championships in Korea in August-September.

"That squad will be off to the US in July with coaches Colin Tuaa and Clive Campbell," said Seatter. "We are also planning at least one more international trip before Tahiti."

Seatter said that with Australia no longer part of Oceania, there had been much interest from across the Tasman as they searched for games for their sides who now play in the Asian Confederation.

Under coaches Ricki Herbert, Jacobs and Brian Turner who, like the others involved in coaching international sides, has now gained his International Team Coaching Licence meaning all national coaches are so accredited, the All Whites will begin their 2020 World Cup qualifying in September next year.

The women, under new coach Allan Jones, will begin their World Cup bid in May in Papua New Guinea with the Oceania winner qualifying for the World Cup in China in September-October.