Club World Cup blow for New Zealand sides

The expansion of the Fifa Club World Cup could have significant consequences for the sport in this country, with the football landscape almost certain to change if the proposed quadrennial event goes ahead.

The 37-member Fifa Council, which includes New Zealand Football vice-president Johanna Wood, voted yesterday to approve the global club event. Despite opposition from Uefa and European clubs, Fifa want to introduce a 24-team format to be played every four years in June, a year out from the World Cup.

The Council’s approval means it has only to be ratified by the full Fifa Congress when they meet in early June in Paris to go ahead.

The annual Club World Cup, in its current format of a seven-team competition in December, has been a vital lifeblood for the domestic clubs in this country.

Aside from Hekari United’s surprise success in 2010, New Zealand sides have qualified for every Club World Cup since 2005. Qualification carries minimum prize money of US$500,000, with each ISPS Handa franchise receiving a share. In recent years, it has meant $25,000-$35,000 injected into each club but that figure was as high as $60,000 or $70,000 after the 2009 and 2014 tournaments, when Auckland City finished fifth and third respectively.

For some clubs, that is as much or significantly more than they would receive from their main sponsors.

The other aspect is the Oceania Champions League. It costs at least $150,000 to participate in the competition, staged across the region.

It’s a huge commitment, offset only by the Club World Cup carrot. If that disappears, it will be unlikely New Zealand teams could participate.

“If we didn’t win [the Champions League] last year, we would have been right on the edge financially,” said Team Wellington general manager Peter Becker. “It’s been a huge expense over the last few years. We rely a lot on the goodwill of sponsors and other supporters but we would have been stretched too far if we missed out last year.”

Auckland City have won the Oceania title nine times but chairman Ivan Vuksich said costs would be prohibitive.

“We couldn’t afford to spend $150,000 or more on that,” said Vuksich. “The expenses would have to covered by someone. You would hope a new tournament means more money comes into Oceania and can be distributed around the region.”

Vuksich is open minded about any new competition but questions how qualifying would work.

“Would it be done over a points system? If it was just in the year before the tournament . . . then the other years would become irrelevant. They would have to get that right.”

Eastern Suburbs chairman Chris Ruffell was also concerned.

“Let’s see what the outcome is but the Club World Cup in its current format has been vital for the game here,” said Ruffell. “Whatever happens, they’ll need to make sure it is feasible.”