TOKYO, March 12 - The Asian Football Confederation
(AFC) says it is too early to make a decision on Australia's
request to join the AFC.
Australia have asked world soccer's governing body FIFA for
permission to leave the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and
join the AFC in order to make World Cup qualification easier.
The AFC acknowledged talks with the Football Federation of
Australia (FFA) had taken place but said no formal decision was
made.
"The president of the AFC, Mohamed Bin Hammam, wishes to
point out that no final decision has been taken at any level,"
the AFC said in a statement on Saturday.
"It is therefore premature to state that Australia has left
the OFC to join the AFC. Any such decision concerning membership
to the AFC must be in agreement with...FIFA."
AFC officials are set to discuss in detail Australia's
request for entry into the Asian confederation after 2006 at
their executive committee meeting on March 23.
Australia's hopes of joining Asia are nothing new but they
intensified after FIFA went back on a previous promise to award
Oceania direct entry to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.
At present, the Oceania winners, Australia or the Solomon
Islands, have to face a South American team in a two-leg playoff
while Asia has four automatic qualifying berths and a playoff.
Australia are the dominant force in the region but have only
qualified for the World Cup finals once, in 1974.