WELLINGTON - The Oceania football region said on Wednesday it has been barred from voting on who hosts the 2018 and 2022 World Cups because its president refused to drop an appeal against a FIFA suspension.

The region, consisting mainly of small Pacific island states, has only one vote on the FIFA executive committee but any shift to the balance of power is potentially crucial as nine nations vie for the tournaments.

Its absence from Thursday's crunch vote follows Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) president Reynald Temarii's decision to press on with attempts to overturn a ban imposed after a probe into vote-buying allegations.

"The OFC will not have a voice at the voting table in Zurich on December 2," acting OFC President David Chung said in a statement.

The move is seen as a blow to Australia's chances of hosting the 2022 tournament, as Oceania has strong links to the country and had pledged to support Football Federation Australia's bid.

Temarii was one of two executive committee members suspended after FIFA's ethics committee investigated British newspaper The Sunday Times' report on vote-buying in the race for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The Tahitian official, a former player with French club FC Nantes, had been accused by the newspaper of demanding NZ$3 million ($2.3 million) to set up a sports academy in Auckland in return for his support.

While Temarii was cleared of corruption, he was banned from football for a year after being found guilty of minor infringements, including breaching confidentiality.

Agence France-Presse