AFC President message to FFA: no NZ teams by 2011

If New Zealand can't support a national league, I don't think looking to the Pacific Islands to save it financially would work? You can quote POTENTIAL viewing numbers all day with a guy called David Beckham,  but a local league, week in week out, is a long way off in the future I feel. And as a supporter, it would seem like getting downscaled fom the A League.

Basically, they are not good. Lowest ever.

How do you know this?

magic knowing ball.

also it is in the press, therefore it must be true.

From the Warriors last year, the following first grade players were of Kiwi origin.

Patrick Ah Van
Sonny Fai
Lance Hohaia
Wairangi Koopu
Epalahame Lauaki (played for Tonga at the World Cup but has capped for NZ in 2007)
Simon Mannering
Ben Matulino
Russell Packer
Sam Rapira
Jerome Ropati
Ryan Shortland
Malo Solomona
Logan Swann
Evarn Tuimavave
Manu Vatuvei
Ruben Wiki

16 players.  Add 8 Australians and 1 Scotsman. 

The Warriors tend to get a bad wrap from various people, even their own fans, but it's a fairly good percentage of players being home grown.  If the Warriors were down to 3-4 or 5 players, I'd suggest a lot of Warriors fans would be fairly peeved and struggle to support them out of Auckland.

Gotta love the kilt and haggis...

Yes but how do people who don't even start or aren't on the bench add quality to the team playing week in week out. Of those players 5-6 would start every week if there were no injuries.

Looking at this article on the front page (Article) OFC MUST NOT vote for Australia unless they can secure the Phoenix into the A-League for 2011 and beyond. It looks like Australia need every vote they can get so I would say that this is turning into the Nixs favour.

definately agree, we need to now take this to the OFC and convince them to back us up but as HN has pointed out we have to overcome a lot of political garbage to do this. Also we have to remember that this news shows how important OFC's vote is, they will conisder it carefully and not give it to the Nix just because we want it, it's too valuable a vote to do that without good reason.

Since Australia, ie FFA, has practically no say on the Phoenix's status means it's difficult to see how this would be possible.

HUGE NEWS ON SBS JUST KNOW BLATTER SAID IT WAS A FIFA DECISION AND HE WAS GOING TO BACK THE NIX

YOU ARE STILL IN AS LONG AS YOU AND FRANK LOWY WABTS YOU.

S**t, the one day I decide not to watch that show. StopOut2008-12-21 19:59:14

Could you search a link for us? Please? This is the best news i have heard all day!

sh*t!! what is up with today??



Come on Phoenix! Come on Phoenix!

My Phoenix scarves for should arrive this week



martinb2008-12-21 20:19:48

No video up yet, but I'm sure Blatters interview will be posted soon, I'll attach a link to The World Game, which the interview was on. He also discusses Australias bid for the 18 &22 World Cups, and the Nix are discussed at the end:

It's good to get support declared from Blatter.

True, but at least we will have a team!

But that wasn't really the issue, was it? The AFC president had already said he would be okay with us staying if NZers were treated as imports. We're already otherwise classified as an Australian team now.

Oh, sorry hadnt heard that!

That's why I thought the President's comments were somewhat of a storm in a tea cup type issue. The only thing he added to the discussion was a deadline of 2011.

well we are waiting to see exactly what was said. If he is saying that if FIFA and the FFA is happy with the phoenix and the rules then the AFC can not dictate that we shouldn't be there.

what does this mean? An extension of the 2011 permission? a continuation of our current situation? who knows? But it appears to be a vote of confidence in the Phoenix from FIFA one that we didn't have to get. A positive sign. Waiting to see exactly of what.

Any internet links to the story?

True  it might give it solely back to FFA. It's part of why I would like to know the conditions of our squad selection exemption. I suspect that the AFC president had thought all this through before his statement.

I don't see why, since currently if we win the league we can't proceed to the ACL anyway.

SBS normally run between 24 & 60 hours in delay in putting their stuff up. Hope it is closer to the 24 hours

It was a rather long interview and the Nix's where discussed towards the end.

Keep checking http://www.theworldgame.com.au .

Blatter said essentially it was FIFA decision about the Nix and my reading was that FIFA gave special conditions to NZ and those conditions can only be changed with FIFA approval via  the FIFA excutive committee.

So I see no change to your current position both players wise and ACL wise.

The point that Blatter did make which,... is an area you will need to work very hrad on... is " Blatter said as long as the Nix and FFA wanted the arrangement to continue it would".

Two things are a concern for me with this statement ... first how will MBN feel and how much he wants his own way i.e. blackmail Lowy over the World Cup to dump the Nix ... as a counter its obovious FIFA want the Nix in... so if FFA dump Nix maybe no hope of getting WC.... Second if as I understand from what Blatter said nothing changes Australia will only get at best 3 ACL spots i.e. another form of Blackmail ... Australian sponsors want as many ACL places as possible even if the Nix get one... as a counter if the Nix went the with NBH approach  to only having 4 NZ players then no problem with making the ACL or being in Australia... but then difficult to market to the public in gereral...

Poor old Frank Lowy .. I think its called the "meat in the sandwhich" this is still going to require all his skills.

Cheers Midfielder!

From a mate who watched and tried to write it down as Blatter spoke ... as close as I can get to a direct quote.

...When teams from one association will play in the other association. It is not the matter of the confederation, it is the matter of the FIFA Executive Committee, it�s in the statute to decide if it�s a problem or not. Therefore this problem is not an Asian problem, it�s a problem has to go to FIFA. If Wellington will go on play on in Australian League, then as long as australian league wants to have them and wellington wants to stay. Both association in this case, New Zealand Soccer and Australian Football are happy with that then we will give them the blessing. The confederation can not interfere with that.
Midfielder2008-12-21 22:32:47

Here's the link towards the end.

http://player.sbs.com.au/twg#/twg_08/GlobalGame/GlobalGame/playlist/Exclusive-Sepp-Blatter/

Interestingly too, on this slow Monday morning, FC Vaduz of Liechtenstein play in the top tier of football in Switzerland - due to being the only professional football team in Liechtenstein.  They have only a few natives of Liechtenstein in their playing squad.  Again, the two countries are in the same confederation but this is further support for the precedent of smaller countries without a professional league being hosted in the leagues of other countries.  In this context the Phoenix playing in the A-League is unexceptional. 

except for the fact that we are in a different confed! that makes all the difference when it comes to the ACL!

theprof is correct. Vaduz and several others have already been brought up, though the Brunei example is new. We are the only club from one federation playing in the national league in another federation.

Tahiti.

New Caledonia.

End.
Hard News2008-12-22 10:22:30