Soccer: Qualifiers may be delayed

Fred de Jong. Photo / Supplied

The All Whites' World Cup qualifying campaign could be delayed further with complications around finding opponents - but it could mean seeing more New Zealand games here next year.

The qualifiers had originally been set to start in October this year but were postponed until June 2012 because it was deemed unfair on players from the Pacific Islands to have to take time off work for two extended periods this year.

The Pacific Games will be contested in New Caledonia in August and September and New Zealand's three World Cup opponents for the home-and-away matches were due to be found at that tournament.

Complications around Guam's status at the Pacific Games is likely to delay things further. Guam aren't members of Oceania and their participation at the event would scupper Oceania's plans to use it as a way to find the three teams to join New Zealand in the final stage of Oceania qualifying. Fifa wouldn't allow a country from another confederation to take part in a World Cup qualifying tournament, especially as they could affect another country's results.

Oceania are reviewing their options but one alternative could be to hold a separate eight-team qualifying tournament also involving New Zealand. This could be held in either New Zealand or Fiji in June, 2012, when Fifa windows exist over consecutive weekends.

Under this option, the winner of this tournament would then qualify for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil and the top four qualify for the final stage of Oceania's World Cup qualifiers played on a home-and-away basis. These could start in the next window in September 2012.

Oceania executive member Fred de Jong, also a New Zealand Football board member, said the initial tournament could see the return of the Oceania Nations Cup, last contested in 2004 when Australia were still a part of the confederation before their move to Asia in 2006.

That 2004 tournament was a disaster for the All Whites, beaten 4-2 by Vanuatu and finishing third. The latest development is not ideal for New Zealand who were keen to get World Cup qualifying under way this year. It created large gaps in their international calendar and meant significant changes around planning. But de Jong didn't think it would be an issue.

"It's good for New Zealand to have contact with the island nations in a tournament rather than being seeded directly into the home-and-away stage," he said. "Being part of an Oceania tournament is not a bad thing."

It would also mean, if the tournament was played in New Zealand, the All Whites playing a handful of games in this country on top of the World Cup qualifiers.

Fifa will next month make a draw to determine Oceania's final path to the World Cup. New Zealand were paired with the fifth-placed Asian side (Bahrain) for a place in South Africa last year but Oceania will this time go into a pot with playoff contenders from Asia, North America and South American.