As my excitement builds ahead of the intercontinental playoffs I was scouring New Zealand newspapers and websites for news about their match on Saturday against Peru in Wellington. These are my paraphrased highlights. (from the New Zealand Herald and stuff.co.nz)
The chief executive of New Zealand football has called on local football fans to create a hostile atmosphere similar to what non-South American teams encounter when they play in South America. He has told fans who will be at the Westpac Stadium to be prepared for a "war".
It hasn't started well. The Peruvian team landed in Auckland today and were greeted by drum-banging, flag waving, noise-making and singing fans. Peruvian fans. There was a not an ounce of Kiwi hostility in sight.
The Peruvian's have travelled with a huge contingent of media, officials, sponsors and security. They are going to stay in Auckland and not train in Wellington and all their team movements are shrouded in secrecy. They have booked out two whole floors of their hotel room. The Peruvian FA informed their New Zealand counterparts that they would not be doing any media events, until they were informed by Fifa that they are obliged to.
The Peruvians flew on a chartered flight, direct from Lima to Auckland. They are expected to return the same way, meaning they will be back in Lima on Saturday night. New Zealand are taking a series of commercial flights, Wellington-Auckland-Buenos Aires or Santiago, and then a charter flight to Lima. They will probably arrive on Sunday night, meaning they have a day less to prepare for the return match and adjust to the time difference.
Apparently, the New Zealand FA proposed sharing a flight to Lima with the Peruvians to cut down on costs but they were refused. Both FA's requested financial assistance from Fifa but none was forthcoming and this was a bigger problem for New Zealand with their limited resources.
If the local fans' hostility doesn't materialize or is not enough, defender Andrew Durante is hoping for Mother Nature to play a big part. While pleasant weather would make viewing more enjoyable for the fans, he wouldn't be too disappointed if the match was played in "the icy squalls and driving rain of a southerly belter, or a nice up-tempo 100km/h northerly gale."
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