Oz football applies to join Asia - Ajarn Forum

Jon · 12th March 2005, 13:32

Interesting story. The Ozzies want to join Asia cos Asia gets 4 teams into the World Cup, whereas poor old Oceania has to send it's group winner over to South America for a play off, hence aguably the best team in that part of the world rarely gets to play in the World Cup finals.
http://football.guardian.co.uk/break...859659,00.html
Now if Wales could join Oceania they might even get somewhere

Slim Chance · 12th March 2005, 16:21

Eh...so Port Adelaide has to play some team in Sth America...shit it was bad enough having games in Darwin, Tasmania and Canberra...but Sth America??

blackjack · 12th March 2005, 17:26

Quote:

The Ozzies want to join Asia cos Asia gets 4 teams into the World Cup

Been trying to do this for years, Jon, it makes sense for Australia. Unfortunately the Asian countries have to vote the Australians in, and they're not going to do that, so it doesn't look like it will happen! It's not as if the Socceroos would be the best team in the Asian group, but they would be among the better teams, and Asian teams have frankly admitted that they're not going to vote themselves out of contention for the World Cup, or make things more difficult for themselves. It's not in their interests to do so.

keegan · 12th March 2005, 18:18

I can't understand why Sepp Blatter was allowed to go back on his promise. The politics of sport. Seems more bloody than world pol.
Australia have a team capable of competing at the highest level, just look at the players based o.s. Distance and lack of funding don't help the sport in Aus. Playing World Cup qualifiers against teams that they defeat by 15-20 nil doesn't help either.
Aus. football will only advance if the nat. team get the opp. to play good teams on a regular basis. Alas, as bj. said, the politics,both locally and int. won't allow this to happen.
1974. Don't htink it will happenagain for quite some time.

Jon · 16th March 2005, 04:19

I hear the Aussie Soccer League has now become the Aussie Football League...so are the Socceroos now the Footballeroos? No, apparently they're Australia

Some people think in a few years time the Asian championships could rival the European champions league, with multimillion dollar teams cropping up in China and Japan and big financial backers moving in - I guess Oz wants to be a part of that too.
(when I say 'some people' I mean a couple of gits talking on the radio last night, but they sounded quite convincing

)

keegan · 16th March 2005, 16:26

I'm sure they would. The biggest problem for football in Aus. is that it's the no.4 code after Rules League and rugby. One of the hardest things to do is find substantial financial support. When I was with Sydney City,we won the Nsl. Started training for the next season and 2 weeks into our prep, the club was gone. Desperate attempts to find another backer. No one. I'm sure that if it had been
Manly or Collingwood they would have been lining up to get their co. name on the shirts.
Can't see how Aus. teams could compete in an Asian Super League,(did hear rumours about it) when just to compete locally is an uphill battle.

blackjack · 16th March 2005, 17:08

Quote:

Some people think in a few years time the Asian championships could rival the European champions league

I'm not sure this has much to do with the World Cup groupings, though. I think Australian clubs could (and I hope they do) join an extended club championship in Asia without the Asian countries having to let the Australian team join their qualifying group for the World Cup.

Quote:

I hear the Aussie Soccer League has now become the Aussie Football League...so are the Socceroos now the Footballeroos? No, apparently they're Australia

I'm sure anything would be acceptable, as long as they don't call them Engerland!

keegan · 16th March 2005, 18:42

bj. Well said. What was the score the last time the two teams met?
But more seriously, do you think Aus. club sides could compete in an Asian Champions League. Haven't seen any Aus football for about 7 years.
The j league and the korean league seem to be producing the goods. Aus has many good players playing os. The Nat. team now is pretty well exc. os. players.
Could they compete?

blackjack · 24th March 2005, 14:28

Well, I was wrong, the Asian Confederation has agreed to Australia joining their World Cup group! Great news, and it makes sense.

Not a done deal yet though, first it has to be ratified by the Oceania Confederation and then FIFA. And Australia has been f#cked over by FIFA before. It's God's own mystery what murky deals go on with that bunch.

Let's hope sanity prevails this time. :chug:

keegan · 24th March 2005, 16:59

Initial report. Call me cynical, but after the euphoria of Oceania being give a direct birth, this all sounds too simple.
Hope I,m wrong, but until all the papers are signed....?

blackjack · 24th March 2005, 17:08

As I said, it's the FIFA ratification I'm concerned about.

I think this is a much better and fairer idea than automatic qualification for the winner of the Oceania group. Let's face it, Oceania isn't up to scratch, and should be disbanded as a World Cup group.

Jon · 25th March 2005, 03:40

The Asia group will be interesting with Oz in there as well. I hope FIFA ratifies it.

keegan · 25th March 2005, 18:10

Let's not forget NZ.
They have a pretty legitim...
OK. Let's forget them

blackjack · 25th March 2005, 19:15

Great quote from the head of the NZ football administration, who complained that they "didn't want to be stuck in a competition for the tallest dwarf". :smile:

Really, NZ should also joint the Asian Confederation, and the Pacific teams should play off with the Asian small fry to see who makes the qualifying rounds, re-name it the Asia-Pacific Confederation. There's absolutely no need for Oceania as a World Cup group at all as far as I can see.