N.Z. coach ridicules ‘spy’ allegations

Press, 14 May 1981, Page 32

N.Z. coach ridicules ‘spy’ allegations

NZPA ' Sydney The New Zealand soccer coach, John Adshead, yesterday ridiculed suggestions that he had placed a “spy” in the Australian camp prior to Saturday's crucial World Cup qualifying game. In a move reminiscent of the cloak-and-dagger tactics which preceded the 3-all draw between the two sides in Auckland, the Australian camp has taken to training in secret. . The Socceroos’ flamboyant coach, Rudi Gutendorf, made the move after discovering that the Haniihex North

Shore coach, Don Jones, was staying in the same Sydney hotel as the Australians. However, Mr Adshead said yesterday that any talk about Mr Jones being a spy was nonsense. “The first I knew that Jones was even in Australia was when we arrived here this morning,” said Mr Adshead. Mr Gutendorf’s attitude to Mr Jones’s presence may have, in part been shaped by statements by the North; Shore coach after he watch a Socceroos’ trial match during

a business trip to Australia in March. ; On his return to Auckland, Mr Jones described the Australians as “rubbish” andpresented a detailed dossier on the strengths and weaknesses of the players to Mr Adshead. The machinations in the Australian camp were of little interest to the New Zealanders who reached Sydney after a long overnight flight from Jakarta. They spent the day resting at their south Sydney hotel and will begin their build-up today with two training ses-

sion at the nearby CronuiiaSutherland soccer ground. Tomorrow they will complete their match preparation with a light work-out at the match venue, the Sydney Cricket Ground. Both New Zealand and Australia now appear likely to enter the match with fully fit squads. The New Zealanders have had no injury problems since the game against Taiwan but the Australians have been troubled all week by a foot injury to their flying winger, Peter Sharne.

New Zealand, meanwhile, will now play its home World Ciip qualifying game-against Indonesia on Saturday, May 23 — not the next day as originally scheduled. The Indonesiaps agreed to the changed date while the New Zealand team was in Jakarta this week. The New Zealand Football Association’s World Cup director, Mr Charlie Dempsey, ; who negotiated. for the change, said there would be

higher gate takings now that the game was bn a Saturday. The Indonesians were approached to agree to the change shortly after the New Zealand team reached Jakarta and sent a message of agreement three days later and just one hour before the New Zealanders flew out to Australia. _ _ The night before, they naa made a clear profit of $150,000 from the New Zea-land-Indonesia game, which was attended by about 95,000 people.