New Zealand soccer clubs have been handed a raw deal ahead of this year's Oceania championship.
An emergency meeting in Auckland last weekend agreed to an Australian request to put the qualifying deadline back from March 31 to May 15. This is to allow the seven new Hyundai A-League clubs
- but not the New Zealand Knights - to play a mini-tournament to find the Australian representative for the Tahiti-hosted June Oceania tournament.
The winner of that championship will represent Oceania at the World Club Championship in Japan in December with a $1 million guarantee.
Auckland City chairman Ivan Vuksich was gobsmacked by the decision.
"The Australians have gazumped us again," said Vuksich, whose club is on course to win through. "It sounds like they have given the Australians an unfair advantage. I'm not happy."
The inaugural New Zealand Football Championship was compressed to meet the March 31 deadline allowing time for the March 12-13 grand final and subsequent matches against the American Samoan winner.
The American Samoans are now out of the reckoning giving New Zealand direct access to the tournament.
"Playing that double-header last week cost us an arm and a leg," said Vuksich. Now we find there was no need for it. The NZFC has, it now seems, been played at the wrong time.
The Australians will have the advantage of going to Tahiti just days after their mini-tournament whereas other countries will have to go in cold without football for up to 12 weeks.
OFC chief executive Tai Nicholas said: "I probably agree it is unfair but we have to ensure every country is represented by their top club. When we made the decision [to confirm the March 31 date] on November 6 we weren't aware of correspondence from Australia requesting a delay."
Australia were given direct entry as the last winners. Tahiti, as hosts, have two teams in the championship.
New Zealand Soccer chief executive Graham Seatter said there were sound reasons for the change. "Given what has occurred, it seems the best solution."
