After several years of lobbying for direct entry into soccer's World Cup, the Oceania region led by Australia finally got the coveted berth for the 2006 finals in Germany.
``We're there and we're delighted,'' said Basil Scarsella, president of the Oceania Football Confederation after the decision was announced by FIFA in Madrid, Spain.
``It's great for Australia, but also for the 10 other countries because it's going to have a great impact on the whole region.''
Australia will now only have to beat New Zealand and weak teams in the Pacific region in order to qualify for 2006.
In the last Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament in Coffs Harbour, Australia, the Australians beat the opposition by a combined 66-0, including wins of 22-0 over Tonga and 31-0 over American Samoa.
Australia has been to the World Cup just once before -- in 1974, also in Germany.
After over two years of campaigning and three frantic days of lobbying in Madrid, Scarsella received verbal support from the other five confederations. But had a nervous wait for FIFA's executive committee to ratify their recommendation at Tuesday's meeting to decide the makeup of the 32-team 2006 tournament.
``It was unanimous support from every confederation and every member of the executive of FIFA,'' Scarsella said.
In previous years, Oceania had half a berth, forcing its champion into a home-and-away playoff against a lower-ranked nation from a tougher confederation.
Australia lost the last three playoffs -- to South America's fifth team Argentina for 1994, Asia's No. 4 Iran for 1998 and again to Uruguay, for 2002.
It also lost to Scotland in 1986.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he hoped Soccer Australia could overcome its administration problems.
``The news about Oceania going straight through is great, it's a bit of really good news for Australian soccer,'' Howard told a Sydney radio station yesterday.
``It's one of the great paradoxes of Australian sport, soccer [has] an extraordinary claim at the junior level on the affections of people but something goes wrong on the way to the final sort of thing as far as the senior levels are concerned.''
The federal government is conducting an inquiry into Soccer Australia and Howard said he was hopeful of a positive outcome.
Soccer Australia was nearly forced into receivership this year, and players were asked to play for nearly nothing in a Confederations Cup qualifying tournament that they lost to New Zealand.
The association was also sued by a marketing firm which claimed it was owed millions of dollars in unpaid fees, but the case was settled out of court.
``I hope some of that can settle down,'' Howard said of the governing body's problems. ``I want to see Australia in the next World Cup.''
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