KEY POINTS:
The body blow dealt to New Zealand's Olympic campaign by the Wellington Phoenix's refusal to release two key players is inexcusable.
While Olympic team coach Stu Jacobs awaits word on whether Ryan Nelsen will be released by his English premier league club Blackburn Rovers, the Phoenix have confirmed that they will not release either Tony Lochhead or Shane Smeltz for Beijing.
This is a bit rich, given the efforts their coach Ricki Herbert has - as All Whites coach - had to put in in the past to get players released to play for his national side.
If it was the club's intention that Smeltz and Lochhead were never going to be available as one or two of the three permitted over-age players in the Olympic team, they could at least have made that stand before Jacobs was required to submit his expanded squad to the New Zealand Olympic Committee last month.
Now, if new Blackburn manager Paul Ince refuses to release Nelsen - who has many times said he is keen to play for New Zealand in Beijing - Jacobs will have only striker Chris Killen and midfielder Simon Elliott as over-23 players.
The Phoenix kick off their second A-League season at home on August 17, by which time New Zealand could well be out of the Olympics. Group play in China ends on August 13, which would leave Lochhead and/or Smeltz free to play at Westpac Stadium against Queensland Roar.
Such timing did not stop Scottish giants Celtic releasing Killen for the Olympics.
Their season kicks off on August 10 with an away game at St Mirren followed six days later by a home game against Dundee United.
Ironically, New Zealand's second game in group C at the Olympics is against Brazil, who seem likely to have Barcelona star Ronaldinho and AC Milan's brilliant Kaka among their over-age players.
That the Phoenix are intent on denying two of their players a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at this level is hard to fathom - especially given their stated desire to get the people of New Zealand behind their club and give the players the best possible chance to perform on the world stage.
Maybe they should take a leaf out of the Central Coast Mariners' book. They have at least given Jacobs' team a game on July 15 as part of their A-League preparation.
The release, in the name only of a spokesman from the Phoenix, has done more harm than good and left Jacobs wondering what he has done to upset them.
But, after all, he was dumped as one of Herbert's assistant coaches at the Phoenix after season one.
