It should be remembered as one of New Zealand football’s greatest years. Instead, AFC politics clouds the future of the Wellington Phoenix – the linchpin of New Zealand football’s success – as its glorious year ends in uncertainty.
AFC’s insistence that Wellington must become an Australian based club, meaning the Phoenix will be restricted in the number of Kiwis they can field, or else face exclusion from the Asian Champions League, shows the confederation isn’t going to budge on this issue.
It would be a devastating blow for New Zealand, Oceania and the A-League.
The success story of the Phoenix has been the opportunity it gives to young Kiwis to ply their trade in a competitive and professional league.
There is a clear path from the clubs of the NZFC to the Phoenix, and without Wellington it is highly unlikely World Cup qualification would have been possible.
The elimination of New Zealand’s – and Oceania’s – only professional football club will set football back in the region yet again; undoing the advances made during the Phoenix’s existence.
The AFC’s insistence, undoubtedly fuelled by the All Whites depriving the AFC of a World Cup spot in the form of Bahrain, leaves the FFA in the precarious position of trying to appease the AFC while hoping for a solution to keep a New Zealand presence in the league; assisting Oceania greatly.
The A-League will be a lesser competition without the Phoenix, their passionate supporters and the quality of Kiwi footballers that are increasingly spreading around the competition.
The advances in New Zealand football have been obvious – World Cup qualification, Shane Smeltz being awarded the Johnny Warren medal, the NZFC’s Auckland City defeating more fancied AFC opposition in the World Club Cup, and the Wellington Phoenix rising to be a consistent threat in the A-League.
Without the Phoenix, those achievements would be near impossible to achieve.
As they try and work themselves into A-League finals contention, keeping one eye on World Cup preparations knowing a strong performance in South Africa is essential to validate Oceania’s half qualification spot, you have to feel very sorry for all those associated with the Phoenix, with an unjust axe hanging over them.
It’s a grossly unfair situation, and yet again Oceania is being treated like the forgotten child of world football, and the AFC is yet again being ignorant to the fragile state of Oceania and Australia’s burden of responsibility to the region.
The Phoenix, All Whites and Oceania need FIFA – who have been sympathetic to the Phoenix’s plight – to act with conviction and fairness to ensure the region isn’t condemned to further isolation. The A-League needs Blatter to act in order to save one of the best-run franchises.
Ka-Blonk
Guest
Yeah right mate, Australia is going to hand out easy Australian passports to Kiwi soccer players? You're dreaming.
Simon Smith
Guest
I don't see it in "'the game's best interest" to keep Wellington in the League, I don't buy it...and as for including Auckland again in the A-League, forget it. Not after all the trouble that's been going on just to keep Wellington in it. I'm not prepared to go into bat for NZ like that again.
hazza
Guest
I think MBH is pissed off because no nation from the Middle East made it to the World Cup!
Chris
Guest
There is absolutely no problem having the Warriors in the NRL.
pimbo
Guest
Exactly, they wouldn't be grumbling if they were good enough to score a goal against the All Whites. I think the Kiwis will do better than Bahrain would have and they will have a similar attitude to the Socceroos of 2006. And our bros will extract revenge on the eye thais. Ze A-Leek is craap anyvay!
Republican
Guest
As in other codes, NZ Soccer gleaned a presence in the Ozzie League at the expedience of home demographics who were NO less likely to succeed. The nations capital deserves to be reconsidered along with other Australian states ie the NT and Tassie as opposed to NZ, a sovereign country. Cheers
Ora
Guest
Schoolyard bully comes to mind here, Not to mention a almighty case of Sour Grapes. I guess Asia and it's billions are a little upset by a few lads from the South Pacific spoiling their little tea parties. How arrogant was the AFC in the first place for thinking they would get the 5th team to the world cup by just turning up?
AndyRoo
Guest
The timing of this means the FFA dont need to do anything about it until 2011 So it wont damage the World Cup bid
pete
Guest
The Phoenix won't relocate to Canberra. Canberra United will take over Wellington's spot (should it get to that which increasingly looks possible). Canberra already have a W-League team and Youth team coming in the NYL. FFA would have known this and needing votes for our WC bid won't take on the AFC IMO.
Marshall
Guest
I don't think this is an empty threat from the AFC. Think this is genuine and I think they will ge their way and Oceania will be trampled on. Question is will Nix relocate to a Canberra or will bidding be open for a replacement?
jimbo
Guest
KB, I'm getting confused, jimbo, Jimbo (big J) and pimbo
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
I think the threat of kicking out the A League from the ACL is somewhat empty. It might happen though because politics seems greater than football in the AFC. But while the new deal they just signed may turn things around currently it’s a competition you lose money when you play in it. The potential is exciting but if this is how the AFC want to act, threatening to kick the A League and our measly 2 spots out while the UAE and China maintain 4 spots (A UAE team pulled out mid comp and Chinese teams have performed poorly and their league is threatening a late start due to match fixing) it will take forever and perhaps never for the potential to be realised. I would hazard a guess that kicking us out of the ACL would go down well politically within the AFC (Thailand and Indonesia want more spots) I think it will slow progress of the competition. Our participation is of mutual benefit but if they want to meddle and damage our comp (kicking out Phoenix and pushing for a 2nd Div) I would be prepared to call their bluff. Come 2011/2012 when this edict comes into effect Australia would already know the outcome of our world cup bid. Hopefully MV and Adelaide give a good account of themselves in next years ACL and the Socceroos do well at SA 2010 and the 2011 Asian Cup Rovers and Heart will be in the comp and hopefully the new TV deal is in place. We may have even secured the rights to host the 2015 Asian Cup. I would welcome an Auckland City team (with a strong Oceanian influence) too come into the A league and it could become a case of two solid A league Clubs vs playing a J league club home and away (so far the only real benefit of being in the ACL).
Crazy Dave
Guest
That is a damn fine suggestion Phutbol... I only hope that someone from AFC, FFA or FIFA reads The Roar.... :)
Rob
Guest
Why do we consider the Nix to be a success when Oz teams with similarly poor crowds and results are failures? Id rather see a team in Can,Darwin,Hob,the Gong etc before the nix
allblackfan
Guest
This is the problem with having an NZ team involved in an Australian competition (ditto for the Warriors in the NRL and the Breakers in the NBL) -- jurisdiction. If the Phoenix is registered as a Australian club and Kiwi players classified as foreigners, just how long will the club survive in NZ? This is the same as transferring the North Queensland Cowboys to Adelaide while retaining the team name and identity! As a kid, I played and loved soccer (game turned out to be surprisingly violent for me in terms of injuries). But I'm rugby mad now. That did not stop me cheering on the All Whites against Bahrain (suck on that, AFC!) and I was truly surprised, and jubilant at, by Auckland's deeds in the WCC (fifth! how embarrasing must it be for those two clubs ranked below Auckland!) If the AFC has its way, I guarantee you nothing the Phoenix do will make me want to watch them play. This goes for the All Whites (short of beating those showpony Italians). More to the Aussie fan's point, what will this do to the A League's bottom line? A major reason why NZ teams have been able to gain entry into Aust competitions is marketing/advertising related -- by inviting a NZ team (NBL, NRL, A League but not rugby union) into the competition, you are opening your competition to even more fans, which in turn increases your sport's attraction to advertisiers (especially if they also sell into NZ). It's not a big market, true, but it's still sizeable and offers new ``growth opportunities''. The AFC also fails to see the threat posed to football in Oceania by rugby sevens inclusion in the Olympics -- if an island team (or NZ) can win gold at Rio, that would in effect set football back 10 years, at least. Why would you want to play in a code where you feel unwanted when you can just as easily switch codes and play for Olympic glory? In Oceania, the physical nature of rugby is less of a turnoff then it may be elsewhere -- that may help explain the region's physicall football style!:-)
K.B.
Guest
Jimbo, are you now the new national socceroo coach... :lol: or is this Pimbo a new player on the Forum..? Appolgies for asking... I just have to know... ;)
dasilva
Guest
Like I mention before This is FIFA decision to allow Wellington to play in the A-league However it is AFC decision whether to kick Australia out of the Champions League if we let Wellington play in the A-league. So FIFA can force AFC to accept Wellington but they can't force AFC to not retaliate and punish us in the process.
Chook
Guest
Mohamad bin Hammam is bucking for Blattersjob and want to be seen to throw his weight around. Using the Phoneix as scape goats is a perfect oppportunity for him to make a name for himself as a tough man. From a world football point of view there are many unhappy that New Zealand made it into the World Cup and maybe they have a point. Have a look at the teams that didnt make it Russia, Ireland, Turkey, Sweden. and the Cook Islands
Realfootball
Guest
To correct an error in my earlier post, the reference to filling the stadium was with regard to the U17 World Cup finals, where the Joeys memorably made the final, The crowds were consistently big through the whole tournament. It is an absolute fallacy that there is no football audience in Auckland.
Darwin hammer
Roar Rookie
This is a FIFA decision in the end - not an AFC one ... seeing Blatter is the one who approved the NZ team in the first place and can point to an upsurge in interest in the game in NZ and an improvement Oceania representation - it'll be a big decision to dump them - this is nothing but posturing from bin Hammam - I expect the Pheonix will have their HAL contract renewed with no new conditions ...