All Whites to play Slovenia, Serbia

BOTH Serbia and Slovenia have agreed to World Cup warm-ups against the All Whites.

An ecstatic New Zealand Football boss Michael Glading confirmed the European double-header to Sunday News yesterday as a major piece of the All Whites' World Cup jigsaw drops into place.

This morning Ricki Herbert's diary reads: March 3, Mexico in Los Angeles, late May (exact date to be confirmed) Serbia in Klagenfurt, Austria, and June 4 Slovenia in Maribor, Slovenia.

And Glading also revealed to Sunday News he's pulling out all the stops to broker yet two more friendlies ready for the All Whites' arrival in South Africa – hopefully hoisting the total practice schedule to meet Herbert's desired target of five matches.

"We're all go, we've got two games confirmed. The first one is against Serbia in Austria and the second is against Slovenia, in Slovenia," Glading said. "The good news is that now we've qualified for the World Cup, agents are more interested in [playing] us. We're really, really pleased."

The bad news is Glading's comments seem to indicate plans for an All Whites game in New Zealand before the World Cup are dead.

Both Serbia and Slovenia will pose the All Whites with reasonable tests as the Eastern European duo are also bound for the World Cup finals.

Compared to the All Whites' Fifa world ranking of 82nd, Serbia are and Slovenia are rated 19th and 31st respectively.

Scheduled for late May, the Serbia fixture will soon be given an exact date after the Football Association of Serbia and New Zealand Football agreed to meet in Austria where both will hold training camps.

The match will see the All Whites try to find a way past Serbia's Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic and his colleagues. New Zealand's Austrian jaunt will be wrapped up by travelling across the Slovene-Austrian border to Maribor for a June 4 date with Slovenia at Stadion Ljudski vrt.

National coach Ricki Herbert says he's delighted with the deals.

"I think its great. Compared to what we'll face at the World Cup, it fits perfectly," Herbert said. "We'll be at altitude, in a country with very good training facilities and two excellent oppositions to play. You couldn't ask for anything more."

While midweek reports claimed a match against Honduras, Glading quick damned them, saying "It's not at all solid, I would have told you [Sunday News] if it was close. It's not close."

He also confirmed sending a letter to the Scottish Football Association explaining New Zealand Football's decision to decline a home friendly on a purely financial basis.

Meanwhile the New Zealand Football chief said polite and co-operative negotiations are being conducted with Plymouth Argyle and Rory Fallon after the All Whites striker announced he'd rather miss the Mexico friendly to help his second-tier English club side from avoiding relegation.

"I've spoken to Rory and Ricki's instructions are we want players available," Glading said.

"We like to engage with clubs and I've started that process.

"Next week there will be a decision. If push comes to shove we can recall players."

- © Fairfax NZ News