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http://www.thewest.com.au/20031015/sport/soccer/tw-sport-soccer-home-sto114290.html
By Michael Cockerill
SYDNEY
AUSTRALIA is likely to face another sudden-death encounter with a South American team in its bid to reach the 2006 soccer World Cup finals in Germany.
FIFA seems certain to reject Oceania moves for a four-team play-off tournament involving the Oceania qualifier - likely to be the Socceroos - and Asia, North/Central America and South America.
Acting Oceania Football Confederation president Tautulu Roebeck of Samoa and New Zealand representative Charlie Dempsey will attend this week's FIFA meeting in Doha, Qatar.
But all indications are they are fighting a losing battle to retrieve their position.
Recent blood-letting within the OFC, which led to president Basil Scarsella's resignation following a vote of no confidence, is being blamed.
The new Australian Soccer Association hierarchy, which strongly supported Scarsella, has also sent one of its officials, Michael Thompson to argue for a four-team tournament.
He will be allowed five minutes to make a presentation to the World Cup Bureau. However Thompson, a former employee of FIFA's marketing department, is also likely to discover the key deals have already been done.
Asia and North/Central America have confirmed to FIFA their wish to play off against each other and emphasised they did not want to pursue an alternative formula.
South America has told FIFA it does not care who it plays off against but vehemently opposes a four-team tournament.
Oceania's best hopes of avoiding the South Americans rest on the World Cup Bureau agreeing to draw the four names out of a hat. But that, too, looks a long shot.
The bureau, which meets tomorrow, will make its recommendations to the FIFA executive meeting on Friday and protocol suggests the proposal to force the Oceania winner into a play-off with a South American country will be rubber-stamped.
The OFC has lost the support of FIFA president Sepp Blatter who might have argued the Oceania cause had Scarsella remained in charge.
Blatter has despaired at the removal of his close ally and FIFA has taken such a dim view of the OFC's in-fighting that the issue has become an agenda item for the executive meeting.
The bad news for Oceania might not end there. Plans to re-launch the World Club Championship are in the balance.
The WCC was established in 2000 but postponed in 2001 after the collapse of FIFA's marketing partners. It is a potential lifeline to Australia's struggling clubs who hope to see the tournament restored to the FIFA calendar for 2005.
Europe, and to a lesser extent South America, remain opposed to the re-introduction of the tournament, a pet project of Blatter's.
The one encouraging decision for Australia is a green light for Millwall midfielder Tim Cahill to represent the Socceroos.
Cahill, 23, has fought a nine-year battle to play for Australia.
FIFA seems certain to clear the way for new dual nationality rules to come into force on January 1.
Despite being born in Australia, Cahill has been unable to wear the green and gold because of a brief appearance for Samoa as a 14-year-old.
By Michael Cockerill
SYDNEY
AUSTRALIA is likely to face another sudden-death encounter with a South American team in its bid to reach the 2006 soccer World Cup finals in Germany.
FIFA seems certain to reject Oceania moves for a four-team play-off tournament involving the Oceania qualifier - likely to be the Socceroos - and Asia, North/Central America and South America.
Acting Oceania Football Confederation president Tautulu Roebeck of Samoa and New Zealand representative Charlie Dempsey will attend this week's FIFA meeting in Doha, Qatar.
But all indications are they are fighting a losing battle to retrieve their position.
Recent blood-letting within the OFC, which led to president Basil Scarsella's resignation following a vote of no confidence, is being blamed.
The new Australian Soccer Association hierarchy, which strongly supported Scarsella, has also sent one of its officials, Michael Thompson to argue for a four-team tournament.
He will be allowed five minutes to make a presentation to the World Cup Bureau. However Thompson, a former employee of FIFA's marketing department, is also likely to discover the key deals have already been done.
Asia and North/Central America have confirmed to FIFA their wish to play off against each other and emphasised they did not want to pursue an alternative formula.
South America has told FIFA it does not care who it plays off against but vehemently opposes a four-team tournament.
Oceania's best hopes of avoiding the South Americans rest on the World Cup Bureau agreeing to draw the four names out of a hat. But that, too, looks a long shot.
The bureau, which meets tomorrow, will make its recommendations to the FIFA executive meeting on Friday and protocol suggests the proposal to force the Oceania winner into a play-off with a South American country will be rubber-stamped.
The OFC has lost the support of FIFA president Sepp Blatter who might have argued the Oceania cause had Scarsella remained in charge.
Blatter has despaired at the removal of his close ally and FIFA has taken such a dim view of the OFC's in-fighting that the issue has become an agenda item for the executive meeting.
The bad news for Oceania might not end there. Plans to re-launch the World Club Championship are in the balance.
The WCC was established in 2000 but postponed in 2001 after the collapse of FIFA's marketing partners. It is a potential lifeline to Australia's struggling clubs who hope to see the tournament restored to the FIFA calendar for 2005.
Europe, and to a lesser extent South America, remain opposed to the re-introduction of the tournament, a pet project of Blatter's.
The one encouraging decision for Australia is a green light for Millwall midfielder Tim Cahill to represent the Socceroos.
Cahill, 23, has fought a nine-year battle to play for Australia.
FIFA seems certain to clear the way for new dual nationality rules to come into force on January 1.
Despite being born in Australia, Cahill has been unable to wear the green and gold because of a brief appearance for Samoa as a 14-year-old.

