Football: Auckland face striker conundrum

Auckland striker Emiliano Tade could be South Africa-bound. Photo / Phototek

Auckland City may face a striker conundrum ahead of the Fifa Club World Cup in Morocco next month.

The New Zealand and Oceania club champions face Moghreb Tetouan in Rabat on December 10 with a US$500,000 prize purse and a quarter-finals berth up for grabs.

But that mission may have just become more difficult with last season's ASB Premiership and OFC Champions League golden boot winner Emiliano Tade pondering a move to Vasco da Gama in South Africa.

Tade, who began life in New Zealand washing dishes at a restaurant in Wellington, has caught the eye of the Cape Town-based club and may have a difficult choice to make.

Auckland skipper Ivan Vicelich said the prospect of losing Tade was the reality the club faced as a result of their domestic and regional successes.

"That's the reality of modern football," he said. "It's a great opportunity for Emiliano and its great that players from Auckland City are getting recognised.

"Over the past few years we've had players move on to good professional leagues like Albert Riera with the Wellington Phoenix, Andreu Guerao at Racing Santander and Manel Exposito in Belgium.

"That's a great sign that a club is doing well. Unfortunately we miss these types of players when they move on but that's part of football. The game needs stepping stones and every player aspires to play professional football."

Tade played most of his football off the bench for his first two seasons in Auckland, but last year found himself the side's No 1 choice as they picked up a domestic treble and won their fourth straight OFC Champions League. Now with the prospect of professional football dangling tantalisingly close, the Argentine could be the next Auckland player to move on to the professional ranks.

The complexity of Tade's situation is further coloured by injuries, with Portuguese striker Joao Moreira recovering from a pre-season leg break and exciting forward David Browne also picking up a knock in the 3-0 win over Wanderers SC last Wednesday.

Sanni Issa, who won the OFC Champions League golden boot with Ba two seasons ago, is one viable option, unless Auckland look for a more local solution.