Australia’s World Cup bid has been dealt a blow, with the ush to restore Oceania’s vote running aground.
“I sincerely hope it will not depend on one vote,” Football Federation Australia (FFA) boss Frank Lowy said.
Australia
lost a precious guaranteed vote when suspended Oceania confederation
president Reynald Temarii rejected FIFA’s conditions for his replacement
to participate.
Lowy and his team had been optimistic that
acting Oceania president David Chung would be allowed to replace Temarii
in the executive committee vote to decide the 2018 and 2022 World Cup
hosts on Thursday.
But FIFA insisted the Tahitian would have to waive his right to appeal his one-year ban for ethics violations for that to occur.
Despite
intense pressure, Temarii vowed to press on with his appeal, saying
he’s yet to even be told by FIFA exactly what he’s been punished for.
“OFC
will not have a voice at the voting table in Zurich on December 2 but
fully respects the decision made by Reynald Temarii and his legal team
under difficult circumstances,” said Chung in a statement.
With
the Oceania Football Confederation representative under instructions to
vote for Australia’s 2022 bid, it was a bitter blow for Lowy’s team, the
only one without direct representation on the 22-man voting panel.
But confidence had dipped shortly before Temarii confirmed his stance.
“It is awkward but we are not in charge of the awkwardness … we are a participant,” said Lowy.
“We
are just at work doing our best to make sure that as many friends as we
can have on the executive committee will be voting for us.”
Temarii
has protested his innocence over claims in a vote-buying sting by
London broadsheet, The Sunday Times, that he asked a reporter posing as a
lobbyist for $NZ3 million ($A2.33 million) to fund a sports academy.
