Phoenix Rising?
As Rhys Darby would say – typical.
Even tho the Nix have got off to a decent start – the best start by a NZ franchise yet before yesterday’s loss to Sydney – the future is still far from certain.
The SMH covered the issue in detail during the week (and also commented positively about the performance of the Nix’s Pommy recruits).
Now the irony of course is that NZers love nothing more than seeing Aussies lose. And the Aussies love nothing more than ignoring us because, frankly, we don’t count.
In terms of soccer (yes, it is called soccer and don’t get me started on that!), we do have a bit of history:
THE burden of history weighs heavily on the shoulders of Wellington Phoenix, who are in town to play Sydney FC this weekend. There’s antipathy, because they’re Kiwis, and those with long memories still haven’t forgiven the trauma of losing that crucial World Cup qualifier in 1981. And there’s apathy, because in terms of professional football, their unlamented predecessors Auckland Kingz and the New Zealand Knights brought so little to the table. Except, perhaps, embarrassment.
Not a great start.
However, the Aussies do seem quite intent on trying to keep the Nix in the A-league provided the Nix can actually put some performances together both on and off course:
Like all existing clubs, Wellington are waiting for their licence to be renewed at the end of the season. Unlike the others, though, they have genuine concerns that things might not go their way. Ever since Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam made it clear last year that he didn’t want the Phoenix in the A-League past 2011, their future has been clouded. Football Federation Australia owes it to the club, and its owner, to take that uncertainty away.
So what’s the problem? It’s not our Terry who’s put big chunks of his money into the Nix:
Serepisos has since been doing the right thing to the tune of at least $10 million, and he’ll keep doing the right thing for the foreseeable future even though his property portfolio has recently been taking some pretty big hits. As owners go, Serepisos is one of the A-League’s best.
The problem is NOT that the Nix is one of only a few teams playing in a league outside of its own country.
Phoenix are unique in world football – a club that not only plays in another country, but one that plays in another confederation.
While there is a big big problem ahead for the Nix, it ain’t all doom and gloom. FIFA might decide to dip into its buckets and make it a feature, not a bug:
What if FIFA decided to invest in the club? What if Oceania argued that as the only professional club in the entire confederation, it was in FIFA’s interest to make sure the Phoenix not only survived, but thrived? FIFA spends hundreds of millions on football development around the world. Surely, it’s crucial for the development of Oceania to have a professional pathway? Left-field problems require left-field solutions.
We’ve lost Smeltz – let’s hope we don’t lose the rest of the fricking team just when their get their act together!
