Neil Emblen backs decision to delay

New Zealand Olympic football coach Neil Emblen totally supports the decision to postpone yesterday's Olympic qualifiers in Taupo, but it has caused him a few headaches with the prospect of playing three games in four days.

All three games were postponed yesterday, including the Oly Whites' match against Tonga, because of extreme weather hitting Taupo.

Wind gusts of up 100km/h had caused considerable damage to the region, including road closures and power cuts. Scaffolding for television cameras had damaged the roof of the stand at Owen Delany Park, advertising hoardings were flying around and the satellite dish used to help stream live coverage had been damaged. The ground was under a Civil Defence lockdown, meaning no one could go into the area because of the risk of injury.

It is hoped the weather subsides enough for the postponed games to be played today. The semifinals are still scheduled for tomorrow with the final to be played on Saturday - the winner earns a spot in London.

"We had already named the team and the lads were already to go and play," Emblen said. "We were just getting on to the minibus to come and play.

"We had come up early to check on the conditions and it would have been a ridiculous spectacle. You would've hit the ball one way and watched the wind blow it off the pitch on the other side. I totally agree with the referee's decision, but it makes it really difficult to cram the games in before the final stage starts. It's going to mean plenty of backing up and we are going to need to conserve our energy now."

New Zealand are expected to beat Tonga, which affords Emblen the luxury of tinkering with his side. He is likely to rest a handful of players today as he looks to tomorrow's semifinal, but he was also mindful of putting out a side capable of winning well to gain valuable momentum.

Only a two-goal defeat to Tonga would prevent the Oly Whites securing a semifinal against the second placed team from Group A, which will be decided when joint leaders Vanuatu and Fiji meet today in another rescheduled match.

Emblen had been planning to rest Adam McGeorge against Tonga because he was on a yellow card but others are now likely to join him.

Striker Dakota Lucas is already suspended, but will be available tomorrow and it's hoped defender Ian Hogg (hamstring) will also be ready to play in the semifinal.

"The guys are dealing with it fine. This is international football and they all want to play as many games as they can for their country. I'm sure they will do anything that's required. They all have one goal in mind and that's making the Olympic Games," Emblen said