NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Football / All Whites

Football: NZ coach talks tough after Rojas withdrawal

Steven Holloway
By Steven Holloway
Sport Editor - Digital·NZ Herald·
29 Aug, 2014 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Marco Rojas' absence from the All Whites causes problems for coach Anthony Hudson. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Marco Rojas' absence from the All Whites causes problems for coach Anthony Hudson. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Hudson sends strong message to All Whites who choose club over country ahead of Uzbekistan match

New All Whites coach Anthony Hudson has sent a strong message to his players, saying if they're unavailable for the All Whites then they run the risk of never playing international football again.

It comes on the back of Marco Rojas' withdrawal from the 18-man squad for the upcoming tour to Uzbekistan.

The 22-year-old midfielder has decided to stay in Germany and play for his new Bundesliga 2 club, Greuther Furth, instead of linking up with the All Whites for a week-long training camp and friendly international against Uzbekistan.

It was the second defection of Hudson's short tenure, following the announcement earlier this month of former captain Tommy Smith's 12-month international exile.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Hudson accepted the decision, but has now made it clear he wants to work only with players who want to be All Whites.

"I was very excited to see Marco because I really like him as a player and I've seen a lot of his games and I know he would really, really suit the way I want to play," Hudson said. "But when his decision was made it was easy for me. I didn't get angry or upset. I just saw it as an opportunity for someone else. The team will be far greater than any one player.

"I have no resentment. I have no real opinion on players like Tommy. From now on, if players don't want to be involved, no problem.

"We're starting out to build the team and players are either going to be involved or they're not. For players, you ultimately pay the price for what you do."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The withdrawal caps a troublesome 16-month period for Rojas, who has had minimal game time since signing with Stuttgart last year and was loaned out to Bundesliga 2 club Greuther Furth last week to try to get his groove back.

Greuther Furth have a league game against St Pauli on September 1, the first day of the Fifa international window, but then don't have another match for two weeks. The All Whites don't play Uzbekistan until September 8 but Hudson is not interested in any players taking half measures.

"I have a firm belief that I want everyone here for the full preparation for these games, simple as that. It goes for anyone. If they don't want to commit to the full programme and preparation for the game, someone else gets a chance. If they do well, they'll probably end up losing their place, or will at least find it difficult to get back in."

The club-versus-country debate is an issue that long precedes Hudson's appointment and doesn't seem to be going away soon. Ryan Nelsen didn't play for New Zealand from June 2004 until September 2008 while he was establishing himself at Blackburn Rovers and Winston Reid, Chris Wood and Smith have all opted out of recent friendlies.

Discover more

Football

Football: Edge on brink of Italian job

16 Aug 05:00 PM
All Whites

Football: Hudson secures work visa

16 Aug 09:01 AM
Football

Football: Expanded ASB Premiership confirmed

22 Aug 12:05 AM
All Whites

Football: Williams keeps eye on professional career prize

22 Aug 05:00 PM

Hudson's stance sets a strong precedent, but could also be construed as harsh. Rojas could still have taken part in at least five days of training before the international and Hudson's hard line runs the risk of ostracising a player the All Whites may look to build a team around for the next decade.

"We will be in a position and we have to be in a position where we are not relying on one or two players turning up at the last minute to save us. We're about building the team, getting organised and having a good team spirit and style of play. All these things come with players on the training pitch and contact time."

Promising 22-year-old Wellington Phoenix left back Tom Doyle has been called up to replace Rojas in the squad, which departs for their training camp at the Aspire Academy in Doha tomorrow.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from All Whites

All Whites

'Everything we dreamed of': All Whites captain welcomes arrival of baby girl

23 Apr 08:27 PM
All Whites

‘Didn’t want to live’: Ex-All White’s battle after medical ordeal

05 Apr 12:00 AM
Premium
Opinion

All Whites report card: Jason Pine hands A+ rating to ‘future captain’

27 Mar 10:15 PM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from All Whites

'Everything we dreamed of': All Whites captain welcomes arrival of baby girl

'Everything we dreamed of': All Whites captain welcomes arrival of baby girl

23 Apr 08:27 PM

Chris Wood and his wife Emma have announced the arrival of their first child.

‘Didn’t want to live’: Ex-All White’s battle after medical ordeal

‘Didn’t want to live’: Ex-All White’s battle after medical ordeal

05 Apr 12:00 AM
Premium
All Whites report card: Jason Pine hands A+ rating to ‘future captain’

All Whites report card: Jason Pine hands A+ rating to ‘future captain’

27 Mar 10:15 PM
World Cup payday: The ‘life-changing’ money All Whites receive for qualification

World Cup payday: The ‘life-changing’ money All Whites receive for qualification

25 Mar 09:15 PM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP