Should the All Whites Join Asia?

The All Whites' campaign to qualify for the 2014 World Cup Finals is over. And the preparation to qualify for the next edition in Russia has already started with the start of the search for a new coach to replace Ricki Herbert.

At the same time, New Zealand Football must also consider the next steps to ensure that the national side doesn't fall back as it did back in the 1980s in the aftermath of that memorable 1982 World Cup.

If there was one thing glaringly obvious last night, it was the glaringly huge gap in quality between the All Whites and Mexico, a side that struggled to finish 4th in CONCACAF qualifying behind USA, Costa Rica and Honduras.

And one wonders if that gap will stay like that if things stayed the way they were with New Zealand football - and it's not the coach who as we know is going.

It's rather where the confederation All Whites choose to base themselves - the All Whites are just far too big a fish in a small pond that is the Oceania confederation, much as it offers the All Whites a supposedly easy opportunity to make the World Cup Finals - although that really is a lottery depending on how FIFA works out the draw for qualification for the Finals and as we showed, it's a bit of a disadvantage to the All Whites rather than an advantage.

Socceroos have flourished in Asia since they joined in 2006

I think we need to see the light our Aussie brothers across the Tasman saw 7 years ago and apply to move to AFC, i.e. Asia. Australia who battled through 31 years of heartbreak to make a 2nd World Cup Finals, now find qualification de rigour rather than a surprise - they were the first nation to qualify for the Finals in 2010, their first campaign through the AFC and it's not because Asia is weak but rather because Australian football competes at a level close to Asian heavyweights, Japan and South Korea.

Joining Asia could be a very good financial move for New Zealand Football too, with NZFC clubs able to participate in the financially lucrative AFC Champions League and AFC Asian Cup and the All Whites will be able to play competitive football on a more regular basis against teams who are on their level, i.e. China, Jordan, Bahrain, etc. - means more All Whites competitive games too in New Zealand which can't be a bad thing.

Of course that would leave Oceania pretty much a graveyard without its biggest star - perhaps it is time for FIFA to acknowledge that to further develop the game, the OFC which runs football in Oceania, be merged with the financially lucrative and stronger AFC?

Malaysia and Singapore have more Manchester United fans than anywhere else but are minnows in international football 

The AFC could then become a huge umbrella organization - based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as it is right now - that should be subdivided further into subregions to properly develop the game - Southeast and South Asia have many football followers but are just struggling right now because the development of the game in Asia seems slanted towards the likes of Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc. since they have made the World Cup many times.

Moving confederations nowadays is no big deal and seems to be happening a lot- Kazakhstan did it with some ease, moving from the AFC to UEFA a few seasons ago.

It's time for big decisions for New Zealand Football and the time has never been better.