Smeltz in sticky Chinese pickle

OPINION: All Whites striker Shane Smeltz will have no right to gripe if a Chinese protest scuttles his transfer to a Turkish club.

Shandong Luneng have appealed to Fifa after learning Smeltz is set to join Genclerbirligi SK, just two months after reneging on a two-year deal with the Chinese outfit.

He signed with Shandong after the World Cup finals and quickly decamped there. But just two days after saying "ni hao" to his new bosses, Smeltz was saying "zaijian". He beat a hasty retreat to Queensland after realising his wife and two children would find it tough to settle in Shandong.

Gold Coast United smoothed his passage by repaying the A$300,000 (NZ$378,000) fee received from Shandong. The Chinese club was well within its rights then to think Smeltz would see out the season in the A-League.

No wonder they're now crying foul after finding he's talking Turkey. They want Smeltz to pay about $1.64 million compensation – the value of the two-year deal they offered him – or stand down for six months.

Smeltz is clutching at straws if he asserts he technically did not join Shandong because the international transfer certificate had not gone through. He gave Shandong his word. And it looks as though they are prepared to play hardball. The case could ultimately go all the way to the Court for Abitration of Sport in Lausaunne.

That would be a pity, but Smeltz has got himself in this mess by not checking out China thoroughly before agreeing to the Shandong deal. What was he thinking?

The Chinese offer was obviously financially attractive. The A-League has a salary cap and Shandong were understood to be paying him twice as much as Gold Coast. But the Chinese Super League would hardly be a significant step up from the A-League. There is a smattering of overseas talent, but Chinese clubs hardly set the Asian Champions League competition alight. The All Whites and the Socceroos would both beat China's national team nine times out of 10.

A move to Turkey – one of Europe's top leagues outside the Big Four of Germany, Spain, Italy and England – would clearly benefit Smeltz and the All Whites. He was one of New Zealand's better performers in the World Cup finals in South Africa, where he proved his potential to play on a much bigger stage than the A-League.

But if you want to play with the big boys, you have to also play the game off the field. Smeltz might have to be prepared to spend money to make money. He might have to dip into his own pocket to save Shandong any loss of face before joining Socceroo Mile Jedinak in Ankara at Genclerbirligi.

He also owes a big debt to the Gold Coast, who were exceedingly generous in saving his bacon in the initial standoff with Shandong.

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