All Whites vs Global Pandemic

The news this morning that three Blackburn Rovers players have contracted swine flu has put the entire football supporting public of New Zealand on edge. With just 18 days to go till the second leg of their world cup qualifier against Bahrain in Wellington, the All Whites are sweating on the availability of influential defender and captain, Ryan Nelsen who plays for the Premier League side.

General consensus from the population of Wellington, and in particular the 35,000 people who have tickets to the match at The Stadium, is that they would be more than happy for Nelsen to play, even if it meant that they themselves might contract swine flu – after all what’s a global pandemic when you have a World Cup spot in sight?

The news highlights the growing national anxiety as the November 14 match approaches, that while New Zealand definitely have a chance of qualifying for South Africa 2010, the only way they will convert that chance into World Cup glory is if all the key members of the squad can remain fit and healthy.

Essentially the message to Nelsen, Killen, Smeltz, Bertos and co. is that while club matches are important, and may pay your wages, World Cups only come around once every 26 or so years for New Zealand footballers – take it easy, don’t stretch yourselves, there are plenty of club games to play after November 14.