New Zealand upsets Asia on the field and off

Divine intervention, however, was never going to be enough to thwart New Zealand’s stirring victory over Bahrain in Wellington, which qualified the All Whites for the 2010 World Cup.



Certainly not with penalty kicks of the calibre of Sayed Mohamed Adnan’s early in the second half. Worse than Mark Viduka’s against Uruguay in that famous shootout in 2005, though at least the Bahraini shot straight.

New Zealand are not unworthy World Cup passengers. Bahrain is a decent football side and earned the right to meet the Oceania champions by vanquishing the might of Saudi Arabia in the AFC playoff and recording wins against the likes of Japan and Uzbekistan (twice) on the Grand Trunk Road of Asian qualifying.

Yes, something is awry when teams of the calibre of Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia can’t make it to the biggest show on earth and a minnow such as New Zealand can sneak through the back door by not playing a nation ranked higher than #61.

But the World Cup is not a tournament for the best football teams in the world; it’s a tournament for the best football teams of the world, an important difference, and that world has Oceania as part of it.

New Zealand’s win is important on a couple of levels.

One, if I’m not mistaken, it represents the first time since Rale Rasic in 1973 that a coach from the Australian domestic league has taken a national side to the World Cup finals.

Ricki Herbert has done an incredible job wearing both his Wellington Phoenix and New Zealand caps and is deserving of his success.

And with a team of players largely plying their trade in Australia and backroom people such as Raul Blanco aiding the cause, it is a triumph we can all parochially (if opportunistically) share in.

Two, the advancement of the All Whites weakens the AFC’s claims for five places at the World Cup from its present 4.5 and strengthens the OFC’s claim to one from its present 0.5.

When the AFC has its annual awards night in Kuala Lumpur next Tuesday evening, there will be much private discussion about the advantages of absorbing New Zealand into the confederation, as it did Australia back in 2007, in ensuring those five places are sacrosanct and not risking the calamity of dropping down to four.

Mohamed Bin Hammam, the AFC president, has much to work to do in regards intra-regional gladhanding.

Remarkably, all four of Asia’s representatives – Australia, Korea Republic, DPR Korea and Japan – come from outside the powerful Middle Eastern or “West Asia” bloc.

With Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, Bahrain and UAE all missing out, there will be some stern faces in KL and they will be demanding satisfaction.

There are many fascinating twists and turns in store for Asian football politics in the months ahead.

But for now let’s all congratulate New Zealand on their great showing in Wellington and, as strange as it might sound, pray the Socceroos don’t meet them in South Africa.

They’ll be up for anything now – and especially beating Australia.