Wellington Phoenix skipper Andrew Durante has been named in the All Whites squad, after becoming a New Zealand citizen.
Wellington Phoenix skipper Andrew Durante has been named in the All Whites squad, after becoming a New Zealand citizen.
But the Sydney-born defender is still waiting on FIFA clearance to make his debut for Ricki Herbert-s side in their FIFA World Cup qualifiers later this month.
Herbert named kept a spot for the Phoenix defender in his squad, which meet in Dunedin on 19 March before the must-win game against New Caledonia on 22 March.
“Andrew is now a New Zealand citizen and New Zealand Football will continue to work through the process to allow him to play for the All Whites as soon as possible,” New Zealand Football high performance director Fred de Jong said.
Durante, whose only call-up for the Australia was a seat on the Socceroos reserves bench for a match against Indonesia in 2010, joined the Phoenix in 2008.
New Zealand have to beat New Caledonia to guarantee a place in the intercontinental playoff in November.
New Zealand squad: Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix), Glen Moss (Wellington Phoenix), Winston Reid (West Ham United), Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix), Ben Sigmund (Wellington Phoenix), Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town), Ian Hogg (Wellington Phoenix), Andrew Durante (Wellington Phoenix), Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix), Michael McGlinchey (Central Coast Mariners), Dan Keat (Unattached), Ivan Vicelich (Auckland City), Tim Payne (Blackburn Rovers), Shane Smeltz (Perth Glory), Chris Killen (Chongqing), Marco Rojas (Melbourne Victory), Jeremy Brockie (Wellington Phoenix), Kosta Barbarouses (Panathinaikos), Chris Wood (Leicester City).
