Soccer: Kings sign key defender

By Terry Maddaford

All Whites defender Gavin Wilkinson is the latest signing by the Auckland-based Football Kings.

Wilkinson, due back in Auckland next week to join the All Whites for the Confederations Cup, has been released a year early from his contract with Perth Glory.

Former All Whites midfielder Riki van Steeden will join Wilkinson on a two-year contract with the Kings.

The two New Zealand-born players - van Steeden had a stint with Australian club Carlton before being sidelined by injury - join player-coach Wynton Rufer and Australian Marcos Stergiopoulos as the early signings at the club.

Kings chairman Chris Turner will be in Australia late next week to watch the clash between the Socceroos and Fifa's All Stars (including Rufer), and will have talks with basketball franchise the Sydney Kings in an effort to end the wrangle over the clash of names.

Meanwhile, Hamilton-based Melville are looking for answers from New Zealand Soccer after their protest against Miramar Rangers for playing an ineligible player was dismissed.

Melville appealed to NZS when Campbell Banks played against them after he had copped a two-match suspension from Wellington Soccer following an incident during the May 9 North Island League match against North Shore.

The NZS appeal committee of Simon Jefferson and Graeme Colgan over-ruled the suspension and retrospectively cleared him for the match against Melville.

North Island League commissioner Rex Dawkins said if the appeal had been directed to the league the matter would have been treated differently.

"Melville should have requested the league give them the points," said Dawkins. "It would have then been up to Miramar to attempt to get them back. In appealing to New Zealand Soccer the matter was taken out of my hands."

* The top five teams from the 1997 under-17 world soccer championships have now qualified for this year's tournament in New Zealand.

Ghana, who lost 1-2 to Brazil in the final in Egypt two years ago, yesterday beat Burkina Faso in the African final to book their return trip, while in the playoff for third Mali, fifth in 1997, beat Cameroon.

Mali beat New Zealand 4-0 in group play in Egypt and eventually went out to Germany in the quarter-finals - beaten 4-3 on penalties.

Bahrain, 12th in Egypt, will have home and away playoffs with Australia in August to find the last of the 16 qualifiers.

The confirmed teams for the draw on Monday week are Spain, Poland, Germany, Thailand, Qatar, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Mexico, Jamaica, the United States, New Zealand and either Bahrain or Australia.