I think there is a bigger picture that the Phoenix are talking about from NZ Football as well. I got a vibe that they want to see the All Whites with a meaningful programme and profile as that make it easier to sell the Phoenix.
Less public fudge-ups so the game as a whole is in a positive light helps people sell the Phoenix.
Look, I think we all want NZF to be better organised than they have been in the past and we all want the Nix to remain and compete in the A League but lets not sell our souls to the Devil and insist that NZF spend our money [that they don't have a great deal of] or focus their attention on making the Nix successful when there are plenty of other grass roots/elite/development programmes that they need to focus on too.
The cold reality of the situation is that the Phoenix is a business and it is up to them to sustain that business, good on them in trying to shame NZF into helping them to do that, it is not NZF's job to do that. If FFA simple don't want them in the competition, then nothing is going to change that.