Bayern Munich's Harry Kane came up against Auckland City's Christian Gray. Photo / Photosport
Bayern Munich's Harry Kane came up against Auckland City's Christian Gray. Photo / Photosport
Auckland City FC’s 10-0 thumping at the hands of Bayern Munich was a new record defeat at a Fifa club tournament and also exceeded the previous-highest margin at a Fifa World Cup.
The amateur team were always going to be rank outsiders, in one of the greatest underdogs scenarios inNew Zealand sports history, but a confluence of factors made their task even more daunting.
Michael Burgess looks at 10 elements behind the unfortunate result.
1. Enormous disparity grows bigger
New Zealand teams at previous Club World Cups (Waitākere United, Auckland City and Team Wellington) had the opportunity to enlist what were essentially semi-professional players for a period or half a season leading into such tournaments.
That hasn’t been possible since 2021, when New Zealand Football capped player payments at $150 a week (little more than petrol money). Such a mandate has made the already massive gulf even bigger.
2. Lack of loan players
As revealed by the Herald last December, there had been discussions between Auckland FC and Auckland City FC to loan some players for the tournament. Fifa’s special transfer window had made it feasible and Cam Howieson, Liam Gillion and Logan Rogerson had a background with the Sandringham club.
There was also talk of other players from around the country and maybe even Australia featuring, especially once the foreboding draw came out, with two European giants and Boca Juniors. But, for various reasons, it never happened. It was costly, as the presence of a handful of professional players would have strengthened the squad.
3. Bayern’s disappointing season
This Club World Cup was never going to be a stroll in the sunshine for Bayern Munich FC, as they arrived in the United States with something to prove. Though they regained the Bundesliga title from Bayer Leverkusen this season, a quarter-final exit from the Uefa Champions League hit hard, as did the Round of 16 elimination from the German Cup. And the Club World Cup draw, pairing them with two other heavyweight teams, meant they were always going to be foot-to-the-floor in the opening game.
New Zealand teams have competed in 13 previous editions of Fifa’s annual club tournament, dating back to 2006. In that time they have faced Asian, African, North American and South American sides but never had to play a Uefa club – until Monday. Europe is the hotbed of world football and this was another reminder of that continent’s awesome strength.
Bayern Munich's Sacha Boey celebrates a goal. Photo / Photosport
5. Lunchtime kickoff and early goal
In a match where they were already going to be stretched to their physical limits, a midday kickoff didn’t help matters for Auckland City. Temperatures were between 27C and 29C throughout the game, with an energy-sapping 75% humidity, which only exacerbated their struggles as they barely had the ball – or a breather.
On top of that, there was the concession of a sixth-minute goal, undoing any plans of trying to frustrate the German giants and at least get some kind of foothold in the match. The early carnage that followed – with a three-goal blitz between the 18th and 21st minutes – meant there was nowhere to hide.
6. Don’t forget what happened to Dynamo Zagreb ...
Bayern ist Bayern. In this season’s edition of the Uefa Champions League, they smashed Croatian giants Dynamo Zagreb – an elite, fully professional team – 9-2.
Dynamo are the biggest team in the Balkan nation, who, let’s remember, finished third at the last World Cup in Qatar, after reaching the 2018 final. Zagreb’s squad is valued at around $120 million, which puts Auckland City’s fate in perspective.
Former Auckland City FC head coach Albert Riera (right). Photo / Photosport
7. Coach exit
Auckland City’s build-up to their impossible mission has been complicated. Their long-serving head coach Albert Riera stepped down in January, while his replacement Paul Posa has been on leave for the last three weeks due to family commitments, not making the trip to the USA.
The loss of the highly rated Riera was crucial. The Spaniard and former Wellington Phoenix midfielder had been in charge since the start of the 2022 season but stepped aside after a relentless schedule of around 150 matches over the past three years. He was replaced by Posa, who juggled coaching responsibilities with fulltime work at his dental practice.
8. Flawed domestic system
In 2021, New Zealand Football abandoned its 10-team top-tier competition – played in summer – replacing it with an expanded regional league. That decision – which is expected to be reversed in the coming years – has been catastrophic for high performance. With talent spread across 32 teams, there has been a significant dilution in overall quality. Standards have dropped considerably, making it much more difficult to compete on a bigger stage.
Auckland City FC's Nathan Lobo competes with a Bayern defender at the Club World Cup. Photo / Photosport
9. No unknown factor
When Auckland City FC performed their heroics at the 2014 Club World Cup – with a third-placed finish – they arrived under the radar, as opponents had barely seen them play. In the past decade, data, analytics and streaming coverage have exploded, meaning there are no unknowns in world football anywhere. Sure, Bayern wouldn’t have needed much help regardless but coach Vincent Kompany admitted he had watched Northern League footage ahead of the clash.
10. Prizemoney wrangle
Since their participation was confirmed, Auckland City FC have been caught up in a prizemoney wrangle with New Zealand Football over the share of the proceeds. They have been locked in mediation for months – with suggestions of legal action (since abandoned) – which has sapped energy, resources, time and money from their main mission.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.
