By TERRY MADDAFORD
Tauranga City United have taken Nelson Suburbs' place in the 2001 national soccer league, but suggestions that Dunedin club Caversham will mount a judicial review of New Zealand Soccer's decision could still lead to off-field wrangles ahead of the April 1 kick-off.
New Zealand Soccer chief executive Bill MacGowan said yesterday that his recommendation that Tauranga be accepted had been approved by his board. Ironically, they are down to play Dunedin Technical in the first round.
While MacGowan was reluctant to be drawn into any debate over Caversham's likely call for a judicial review, the 2000 national club championship commissioner and now Waitakere City general manager Rex Dawkins said he fully supported New Zealand Soccer's decision.
Caversham have pleaded for inclusion as the winner of the promotion-relegation series in which they beat Tauranga City. They then lost the subsequent play-off against bottom-placed Metro.
Dawkins said: "If New Zealand Soccer had put Caverhsam into the league they would have created a 'neighbours from hell atmosphere' between them and Dunedin Technical ... The growth of the game would have suffered.
"It would have been a situation similar to the days when Manurewa and Papatoetoe were in the league, both fighting for the same players and sponsors."
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