Faithful put to test

Press, 3 June 1981, Page 42

Faithful put to test

PA Auckland John Adshead and Charlie Dempsey, the men who have been largely responsible for guiding New Zealand to victory in the Oceania section of the World Cup, will head south next week to get support for the rest of the campaign. The pair will visit Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington to speak to local football officials and supporters. “I hope we can clear the air,” said Mr Dempsey, who is the director of the World Cup campaign, which has largely been organised by the Auckland Football Association, of which Mr Dempsey is the chairman. “I think there has always

been a bit of a communication problem with the rest of the country,” he said. “The meetings will allow people to ask questions and we will be able to explain what is going on.” The two will attend a meeting in Dunedin on Monday evening and then move on to Christchurch for Tuesday night with the Wellington meeting on Wednesday. Mr Adshead, who has coached the side to virtual victory in the Oceania section, although it still has one game in hand against Fiji at Mt Smart stadium on August 22, is quite adamant the next round — the Middle EastAsia final — should be played on a home-and-away basis. The two Arab States,

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, which have already qualified for the final, have offered to host a tournament, paying all the New Zealand side’s expenses. ■ However, the World Cup rules say that qualifying rounds shall be played on a home-and-away basis unless every side participating wants a tournament. The views of China, the other country to qualify for the final have not yet been ascertained. A decision on the matter will be made at a meeting of the Asian Football Confederation in Kuala Lumpur on June 26. “Everything hinges on finance,” said Mr Dempsey. “At least we will know the mood of the rest of the country after our trip.”