By TERRY MADDAFORD
The spiralling costs of competing in Oceania could force New Zealand Soccer to reconsider their international commitments.
NZS chief executive Bill MacGowan, who attended last week's Oceania Football Confederation congress in Vanuatu, said that while he was pleased with the progress the confederation was making in expanding the game in the Pacific, the costs were becoming prohibitive.
"Hopefully, there will be an OFC executive meeting in Auckland in late January where some decisions can be reviewed," said MacGowan. "We need to look at funding arrangements, especially now they are keen to have tournaments in a variety of countries and then have the pool winners play off home and away."
The smaller nations did not have the financial burden New Zealand and Australia faced of having to bring in overseas-based players for the tournaments and play-offs.
Over the next few years, NZS faces considerable costs in preparing and sending teams to qualifying tournaments for the World Cup (men and women), Olympics (men and women), under-20 and under-17 (men), under-19 (women) and the Nations Cup (All Whites).
The shifting of the power base from New Zealand continued at last week's meeting, at which Solomon Islander Adrian Wickham was elected the OFC representative on Fifa's executive committee.
When Charlie Dempsey stepped aside after the controversial World Cup vote this year, Fiji's Dr Mohammed Sahu Khan was named as his replacement at Fifa. But in a two-way ballot in Vanuatu - at which Sahu Khan was absent - Wickham was elected 6-5.
That result followed the controversial vote for president, in which Soccer Australia chairman Basil Scarsella got six votes to the five of acting president Johnny Tinsley Lulu of Vanuatu.
The ballot was delayed a day when five nations - Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tahiti, Cook Islands and Fiji - walked out of the meeting.
Scarsella will hold the presidency until the 2002 congress and intends stepping down from Soccer Australia in February. Wickham could hold his Fifa post until 2004.
"We are pleased that Scarsella wants to retain Auckland as the OFC base," said MacGowan. "There is plenty to be done for soccer in this part of the world. People like Basil Scarsella have the mandate to do that, and we can only hope all countries give him their full support.
"That did not happen at last week's meeting when some island countries took the stance they did in delaying the meeting. That was disappointing."
Dempsey, who said he had received tremendous support since his decision to abstain from the crucial World Cup vote, was unanimously elected honorary president of the OFC and intends working in some capacity from its Mt Smart home.
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