Aussie soccer expects smooth sailing into Asia

Aussie soccer expects smooth sailing into Asia

Associated Press, Sydney, Australia

Australia's soccer chief said on Saturday he expected no
problems in leaving the Oceania Football Confederation to join
its Asian counterpart, and that the move could happen as early as
June.

Australia's bid to join the Asian Football Confederation was
unanimously endorsed on Wednesday by Asian soccer chiefs at a
meeting in Malaysia.

Football Australia chairman Frank Lowy said he expected
Australia to receive a sympathetic hearing at an Oceania meeting
April 16. Australia must officially resign from Oceania, which
then has to allow it to leave at the April meeting.

Lowy also said an executive committee meeting of world
governing body FIFA on June 29 in Germany could be Australia's
last remaining hurdle. If it didn't happen then, a full congress
of FIFA in September could approve the shift.

Asian Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam said on
Saturday the move could not come soon enough.

"If it was left to our wishes, we would like it to have
happened yesterday," bin Hammam said on Saturday.

Joining Asia would provide Australia with a tougher but more
lucrative road to the 2010 World Cup finals.

IF FIFA ratifies the move in June, it would clear the way for
Australia to be eligible for the 2007 Asian Cup qualifiers
starting early next year, as well as Australian A-League teams
joining the Asian Champions League.

Lowy described the impending move as "a transforming event"
for Australian soccer.

"I know that the marketing side is very exciting, I know the
footballing side is very exciting," Lowy said.

Oceania is the only one of FIFA's confederations which doesn't
have a guaranteed spot in the World Cup finals. A place was
offered in 2002 and withdrawn before qualifying began in 2003.