Olympics become top priority for soccer

Press, 9 December 1983, Page 12

Olympics become top priority for soccer

By

DAVID LEGGAT

With New Zealand’s prospects of qualifying for the World Cup soccer finals in Mexico in 1986 now remote, the attention of the national association chairman, Charlie Dempsey, is now switched to advancing to Los Angeles for the Olympic finals next July. Mr Dempsey was present in Zurich earlier this week when F.1.F.A., soccer’s international ruling body, decided that two teams from the Asian region will be among the 24 in Mexico, and that the top Oceania nation will have to play off against the bottom European country to win a spot. Before he went to argue Oceania’s case to F.1.F.A., as the region’s president, Mr Dempsey admitted the difficulty of his task. His concern proved well founded. Now he travels to Tokyo for the meeting next Sunday to decide the format for the final elimination round for Los Angeles. Ten nations have been split into two groups — New Zealand is in with Kuwait, Bahrain, Malaysia and South Korea,

with the other group comprising Japan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq. What must be decided in Tokyo is whether the groups will be played on a home-and-away basis — New Zealand’s first preference — or in tournaments hosted by two of the competing nations.

The two group winners automatically advance to Los Angeles, while the runners-up will play off for the third place. Mr Dempsey is keen for New Zealand to host a tournament for its group. Not only would it greatly enhance its prospects of reaching the finals, but it would also be a great fillip for soccer in New Zealand.

It is important that the success achieved by the World Cup side last year be shown to be something more than a one-event wonder. However, the cost of staging a tournament in New Zealand is about $400,000, not entirely prohibitive, but certainly something to be considered.

Mr Dempsey understands that Kuwait and Malaysia are both keen to host a tournament for the same group. Offsetting that, to an extent, is the news that South Korea will support New Zealand’s bid for the series to be held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Should a tournament be staged in the Middle East or Asia, Mr Dempsey believes New Zealand can effectively kiss its chances of Olympic representation good-bye. The most likely outcome is a series of home-and-away matches. It also happens to be the fairest system. However, it is conceivable that the oil-rich sheikhs of Kuwait could offer sufficient financial inducement to lure three of their four rivals to their own tournament.

Mr Dempsey is unlikely to be swayed, but he might well find himself in the situation where he must go along with the wishes of the other countries, to the detriment of New Zealand’s Olympic aspirations.