Soccer: Thanks a billion, Seatter tells Brazil

Graham Seatter

Graham Seatter and Ricki Herbert attended the World Cup draw in Germany on a whim - the hope of picking up a game or two as Seatter tried to fulfil his promise of getting the All Whites "back on the park".

They waited until the draw had been made, then targeted teams drawn alongside Australia, reckoning that those teams might be keen to play New Zealand - a team seen by many as playing a style similar to their transtasman rivals.

He tried Croatia and Japan first. For one reason or another, Seatter struck out. That left Brazil - and Seatter thinking "I don't think I'll bother."

Some time later, he relayed his thoughts to Football Federation Australia commercial manager John O'Sullivan, who had been speaking to Brazil's agent in France.

The upshot? Monday's game against the World Cup superstars in Geneva - and a chance to showcase the All Whites in front of a packed stadium and an estimated worldwide audience of a billion.

"John O'Sullivan said the Brazilians were looking for a nice low-risk workout. They had made it clear they did not want to 'get kicked off the park'," says Seatter.

"I rang agent Jean Pierre Frankenhuis in Bordeaux. Three months later the deal was done. I have since had other match agents tell me that we will never know how lucky we were to get the game - there were so many countries who wanted it.

"It was all about contacts, timing - and luck," says Seatter. "I got the feeling they felt we would be a cool country to play, something a bit different."

Now, just three days out from Brazil's Cup dress rehearsal, Seatter is fully aware of the mounting interest. "The guys organising the game have told me I would not believe how Switzerland has gone off. It is debatable whether any other New Zealand sporting team or individual will be seen by so many people this year.

"The game is going out live to at least 60 countries, including the United States and Britain. A huge amount of the stadium advertising was bought by Asia. One thousand accredited media will be there. The 35,000 seats sold out in hours. It's amazing."

While New Zealand Soccer is not quite laughing all the way to the bank, Seatter is happy with its return from the game.

"It is a very expensive exercise," he says. "But it's one we are happy to be part of. Very early in the negotiations we made it clear the All Whites will not be going out there trying to prove a point or pretend we are better than Brazil. We said all along we will be hard but fair. That's all they wanted."