Soccer: Resignation as pressure finally tells on Dempsey

By TERRY MADDAFORD

A simple message - just three short sentences - heralded the end of Charlie Dempsey's reign as the patriarch of New Zealand and Oceania soccer.

Dempsey announced his retirement as president of the Oceania Football Confederation - 36 years after he kick-started moves to take the sport here on to the world stage.

Shaken by the reaction to his controversial non-vote at last week's 2006 World Cup vote in Zurich, 79-year-old Dempsey last night handed his daughter, and confederation general secretary, Josephine King, the following letter:

"I hereby inform you I am retiring as president of the Oceania Football Confederation from Friday 14th July, 2000.

After 36 years with OFC I feel there is not a great deal more for me to achieve.

I would like to pass on to the confederation my best wishes for continuous growth and good luck for the future ...

Yours faithfully, Charles J. Dempsey CBE."

Dempsey later said his family had been under tremendous pressure after he had returned from Zurich where his abstention from the World Cup ballot effectively skittled South Africa's hopes of hosting the 2006 Cup, handing it to Germany.

"My family has been harassed and I'm not prepared to let that continue," said Dempsey.

"Annie [his long-suffering wife] and I are going on holiday. She has stood up to it well but it is not fair to let it continue.

"The pressure had been too much for me.

"My family is more important than football."

Dempsey, challenged for the presidency at an OFC executive meeting in Auckland last Sunday, announced then that he would retire on October 1 after chairing a confederation meeting in Sydney on July 22 and heading its contingent to a Fifa executive meeting and congress in Zurich.

Last night's announcement could have far-reaching effects for the world's youngest footballing confederation.

Vanuatu's Johnny Tinsley Lulu, Dempsey's understudy as vice-president, can be expected to chair next week's meeting.

But he may immediately face a challenge in the vote to find a new Fifa executive member who, in turn, will plead before Fifa the case for an extension to the Football Kingz' initial two-year NSL licence.

The vote for Dempsey's successor is expected to be taken at the October 1 meeting with Tinsley Lulu and Australian Basil Scarsella as front-runners.

New Zealand Soccer chief executive Bill MacGowan paid tribute to Dempsey's contribution to Auckland, New Zealand and Oceania soccer.

"Charlie should be remembered for all the good he did in ensuring the growth of the OFC and not just for the events of the past few days," said MacGowan.

"The next person to assume the OFC presidency faces a huge challenge. We hope he can do in the [next] 36 years what Charlie has achieved in the last 36."

Dempsey is a life member of the Auckland and New Zealand associations.

As yet, there are no OFC life members. Dempsey, undoubtedly, deserves to be the first.