Azkals Manage Sensitivities

Philippine Azkals manager Dan Palami is off, with Brussels, Belgium as the first stop on a working tour of Europe, searching for more football players of Filipino lineage to lure to the national cause. Some of the veteran Fil-foreign players on the Azkals are playing bigger roles with their mother clubs in Europe, and are going to be less available as the seasons wear on. Some of them may not even be released by their pro teams, at all.

When asked how he was going to attract these players, and if the job was easier now with the team’s relative fame, Palami had a standard-issue answer.

“What’s my pitch going to be? It’s going to be the same as it was with guys like Rob Gier, when nobody knew – or cared – about the Azkals,” explained Palami. “It’s a chance to play for flag and country.”

What the general public does not realize (particularly those who have biases against the inclusion of “half-Filipino” players), is that it is often a great financial sacrifice for these young men to come to the Philippines at the cost of jobs with limited slots in the soccer hotbeds in Europe. Some of our players receive $10,000-$20,000 salaries to play professionally in Europe, which is no mere pittance. Yet, many of them have risked their professional careers and taken leaves of absence to suit up for matches wearing the Philippine flag.

Managing sensitivities on the issue of race is also something the Philippine Football Federation is now conscious of. Bear in mind that the huge sums being given as sponsorship money to the Azkals actually go to the coffers of the PFF for grassroots development. With the sport’s development having been “dormant for decades” as Palami says, it will “take four years” or so before we develop another Chieffy Caligdong. In the meantime, the team needs the technology transfer and seasoned talent of Fil-foreign players who are willing to don the flag.

There are a lot of big tournaments awaiting the Azkals, who are also part of the United Football League individually, and to some extent, members of the Under-23 team. The Southeast Asian Games involves the younger Azkals, while the Suzuki Cup and AFC are slated for next year. These major tournaments coincide with breaks in major European leagues, as FIFA avoided the overlap between national and club teams. In the meantime, there are more diamonds in the rough home and away, waiting to be discovered.

THE GAME OF MY LIFE By Bill Velasco 

Azkals Vs Azkals: Smart Club Football Opens Aug. 9

MANILA—Members of he Philippine Azkals find themselves on opposing sides again when the group stage of the Smart Club Championships kicks off on Aug. 9 in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo.

Brothers Phil and James Younghusband suit up for Smart San Beda that will represent Rizal province, even as Chieffy Caligdong, Misagh Bahadoran and Ian Araneta banner Teknika, which qualified as a second team from NCR.

Rizal, which is handled by former national coach Aris Caslib, will see action in Group A at the Don Gregorio Pelaez Memorial Stadium in Cagayan de Oro, along with Iligan City, Laos FC of Leyte and Teknika, which also boasts Sudanese striker Izo El-Habbib.

Iloilo, represented by Stallions FC and reinforced by Korean standouts of Central Philippine University, plays host to Baguio-Benguet, Davao and another NCR representative, Pechanga FC.

The top two teams from both groups after single-round play will advance to the crossover semifinals scheduled Aug. 16 and 17 at the University of Makati Stadium, with the Group A topnotcher facing the Group B runner-up. The Group A first placer takes on the runner-up in Group B.

The two finalists will dispute the championship in a home-and-away series on Aug. 20 and Aug. 23, said PFF competitions chair Cyril Dofitas.

“This tournament is part of our continuing commitment to football and the Philippine Football Federation,” said Epok Quimpo of Smart Sports in Tuesday’s PSA Forum at the Shakey’s UN Avenue branch in Manila.

PFF competitions head Cyril Dofitas, who was also at the forum sponsored by Accel, Pagcor, Smart, Outlast Battery and Shakey’s, pointed out that the sponsorship of the PFF-Smart Club Championships is part of the P80 million that Smart chief and business tycoon Manny Panglilinan invested for the long-term development of the sport.

By Cedelf P. Tupas

CDO To Host National Football Tournament

GROUP competitions for the inaugural Philippine Football Federation-Smart Club Championships will be held simultaneously in Cagayan de Oro City and Iloilo on August 9, organizers said Tuesday.

The Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Center will be the venue of the Group A games while the Barotac Nuevo football field in lloilo will host the Group B matches in Iloilo, PFF competitions head Cyril Dofitas said in a briefing.

The sports center, which recently underwent a facelift, is the first venue outside Metro Manila that hosted the prestigious Palarong Pambansa in 1975.

Teams bracketed under Group A in Cagayan de Oro are Iligan, Leyte, National Capital Region-2 and Rizal while in Group B in Iloilo are Baguio-Benguet, Davao, Iloilo and NCR 1.

“With this event, the PFF aims to strengthen club competitions at the provincial level while giving opportunities for aspiring football players a showcase for their talent would not be available for them had this tournament not been around,” he said.

For his part, Chris Quimpo of Smart Sports said the tournament is part of the P80 million that Smart chief Manny Pangilinan invested for the long-term development of football, popularized here by the men’s national team Azkals.

Both Quimpo and Dofitas said that some national players will be suiting up for some clubs with the Younghusband brothers, Phil and James, seeing action for the Rizal side that will carry the colors of Smart San Beda Football Club.

The team will be mentored by former national coach and current PFF technical director Aris Caslib.

On the other hand, Azkals veteran wingman Chieffy Caligdong and striker Ian Araneta will be playing for Teknika in the Cagayan de Oro leg, representing the second squad that qualified from the National Capital Region.

Smart Stallions FC, representing Iloilo, will have former national stalwarts Jovanie Simpron, Ruben Doctora, and three youthful but skillful South Korean students from Central Philippines University - Kim Seong Jin, Nam Yeoh No, and Lee Jeo Young.

Dofitas said the top two teams in both groups after the single-round elimination will advance to the crossover semifinals scheduled on August 16 and 17 at the University of Makati Stadium.

Under this scenario, the Group A topnotcher faces the Group B runner-up while the Group B first placer takes on the runner-up in Group B.

Similar to the Suzuki Cup and the recent World Cup qualifiers, the two finalists will dispute the championship on a home-and-away basis on August 20 and August 23.

Depending on the outcome of the semifinals, there is a possibility that both championship matches will be held at the refurbished Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, Quimpo and Dofitas both said. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)

Azkals Set To Compete For Various Clubs In Smart Tilt

MANILA, Philippines — Fans get another chance to see some members of the Philippine football team play, but this time not as a team.

The Azkals will suit up for different teams when the Philippine Football Federation-SMART Club Championships resume on Aug. 9.

Striker Phil Younghusband, and older brother James will banner Rizal while midfielder Chieffy Caligdong and Ian Araneta and Fil-Palestinian Misagh Bahadoran will lead NCR-2 in the tournament aimed at strengthening the clubs formation in the country.

Two groups of four teams, which survived the cluster round last May, will begin their hunt for semifinal berths as they try to eliminate each other in the single round robin group stage set to be played simultaneously in two venues.

Group A hostilities between Iligan, Leyte (Laos FC), NCR-2 (Teknika FC) and Rizal (Smart-San Beda FC) will be held at the Don Gregorio Football Field in Cagayan de Oro City while Group B action featuring teams from Baguio-Benguet (Baguio FC), Davao (Columbia FC), Iloilo (Stallions FC) and NCR-1 (Pachanga FC) will be played at the Central Philippines University and/or Barotac Nuevo football field in Iloilo.

“We can’t make any prediction which is the top teams but we expect an exciting and almost even matches because all teams have good players that include national team members,” Cyril Dofitas, head of PFF’s competitions department, said during Tuesday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Ave. “In my rounds in Cagayan and other parts in Mindanao, I can see there’s so much awareness among the fans and we expect warm reception just like in Barotac.”

Speaking in the same forum, SMART Sports Manager Epok Quimpo assured that the Manny V. Pangilinan-owned telecommunications company will continue to support the PFF and its programs despite the elimination of the Azkals in the World Cup qualifiers last week.

The competition is part of a long-term partnership between the PFF and SMART, which pledged to donate P80 million to the PFF in the next 10 years.

“We may have lost to a strong team in Kuwait but it’s not the end but only the beginning. Football will stay and flourish and SMART is here to stay,” Quimpo said.
By FRANCIS SANTIAGO

Azkals Lose Battles With Kuwait But Filipinos Advance In Football

Middle East teams dominated Round 2 of the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers in matches all over Asia Thursday including the Philippine Azkals' home game versus Kuwait, who have marked the Filipinos as a future football powerhouse in Asia.

Of the 15 Asian contingents that advanced to Round 3, 10 were West Asian countries. China leads the pack of 15 with a 13-3 aggregate score against Laos. Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore are the Southeast Asian countries that also moved forward into Round 3.

Coach Goran Tufegdzic and other officials of the Kuwaiti side were gracious victors at the post-match news conference. They said, judging by the "very good team" who foiled most of their goal attempts throughout the match, the Philippines will be "one of the top ten teams in Asia" in decades.

But Azkals coach Michael Weiss, undaunted after the loss, said the Philippines can be "a contender for the World Cup" in just four years with intensive training and support from all sectors. He has charted out a path.

Weiss said the national team can bring home a medal from the Southeast Asian Games later this year, follow-through on earlier wins in the AFC Challenge Cup, and try to secure a berth to the Asian Cup.

Team manager Dan Palami told GMA News Online the Azkals will have little time to rest because some of the Europe-based players have matches there in the coming months, the rest of the team will also join more tournaments.

The Azkals will have tune-up matches with several of their country's neighbors prior to the SEA Games in November. In September, the Philippines will compete in the Long Teng Cup to be hosted by Taiwan. Other competing teams are Macau and Hongkong. In October, four Southeast Asian nations meet for the Manila Beer Cup.

Palami said the Azkals will try to sneak in some downtime so they can relax a bit, probably with an out-of-town trip.

Weiss said the team will likely return to Bahrain for more training. He said he will also return to Germany soon to scout for players and entice more sponsors. He also expects the Japan Football Association (JFA) to help the Philippine Football Federation (PFF).

World-class football

It is not everyday that a world-class match of football gets played on Philippine soil.

Kuwait showed their Filipino foes and Rizal stadium spectators their battle-honed, training-polished moves and physical conditioning befitting a team that is in the top 100 of the world ranking. Kuwait is 95th in the latest FIFA ranking.

Even when they lost midfielder Fahed Al Ebrahim, who got sent off with a red card in the 60th minute, Kuwait played like they were not one player short.

Though the Azkals got eliminated, they did display some flashes of brilliance, the brightest of which was that rocket Stephan Schrock launched many yards from the left flank of their attack. The solitary goal made the 13,000 spectators at the Rizal Stadium roar, jump for joy and send shock waves via television to viewers nationwide and fans following the match via Facebook and Twitter.

Co-captain Emelio "Chieffy" Caligdong and Phil Younghusband tried several times to punch through the Al-Azraq defense line. Team captain Aly Borromeo and Angel Guirado also came close but missed their chances.

All too often two, three or four opponents surrounded Caligdong and the younger Younghusband or blocked their path. At other instances, no teammate was at the receiving end of their passes for the finishing header or kick near the goal.

Weiss said the most crucial point, in his view, was Younghusband's attempt in the 52nd minute of the match. The German coach said if that had gone through, it would have changed the complexion of the match.

Guirado tried not to show it but he was obviously not at 100 percent fighting form. He was the first Weiss substituted, though late in the second half. Weiss sent Misagh Bahadoran in Guirado's stead. Weiss said Schrock was also trying to shake off some jet lag, having planed in from Germany only two days before.

It was apparent that part of the strategy of Kuwait was to slow down the pace of the match since they already had a three-goal cushion from their home game last July 23.

That buffer widened further at the 63rd minute when midfielder Yousef Naser sneaked in a goal and when another midfielder Walied Ali lured Neil Etheridge away from the goal so his shot could slip by. Ray Jonsson tried to keep that shot from going in but he was several steps behind.

Tectonic Shift

Before 2011, only the sports of boxing, billiards and basketball had the proven drawing power and wide public appeal in the Philippines.

Football has joined their ranks as evidenced by capacity crowds and sold out tickets in Bacolod last February, the last two matches in Manila and the away game at the Qadsia Stadium in Kuwait.

The tectonic shift began when the Azkals shocked Vietnam in the Suzuki Cup of the ASEAN Football Federation. Vietnam was the higher-ranked team and defending champion.

Coach Weiss said it is crucial that various sectors come together to sustain the momentum football now has in the Philippines. He stressed the importance of having good infrastructure and strengthening of the country's grassroots program for homegrown talents.

While that endeavor waits for fruitful harvests, Weiss, Palami and the PFF will scout the globe for foreign-based Filipino talents. Weiss said the national team needs young and fast players.
The Azkals coach said recent discovery OJ Porteria, who had some playing time in the Middle East, is "fantastic" and will be part of the team the PFF will send to the SEA Games.

The PFF has two boys' teams, the Teen Azkals and Little Azkals, and the Under-23 junior men's national team training pool. There are also two women's teams, christened the Malditas.

Unlike other football nations in Asia, the Philippines has yet to formulate its national vision and strategic plan for the "beautiful game." Palami said he has an "initial draft" tucked away that he will review soon. - JVP, GMA News

Azkals Look To Bounce Back

By PATRICK SALOMON

THE Philippines’ senior men’s national football team, known as ‘the Azkals’, are set to turn it up a notch tonight when they play their second friendly match in three days  against Bahrain’s under-23 Olympic team.

Their first meeting on Saturday, held at the National Stadium in Riffa, ended 2-1 in favour of the hosts, with Sayed Dhiya Saeed scoring the winning goal early in the second half.

‘The Azkals’ will be looking to turn the tables on their rivals this time around, and give what is expected to be a capacity crowd of Filipino supporters an evening to remember at the Muharraq Club stadium in Arad.

Head coach Hans Michael Weiss admitted, however, that ‘the Azkals’ will be far from full strength for the game, which kicks off at 7pm. Several ‘Azkals’ players have been unable to make it to Bahrain and are also expected to miss the Philippines’ match against Kuwait on Saturday in the all-important first leg of their second round qualifying clash for a 2014 Fifa World Cup berth.

 “We are missing five or six players; we are here with a young team and not our first squad,” Weiss told the GDN. “Even against Kuwait we will not be complete. It will be this team along with one or two additional players, and that’s it.”

“A STUNNING crowd of more than 12,000 supporters packed the National Stadium in Riffa on Saturday for the first friendly match between ‘the Azkals’ and Bahrain’s under-23 Olympic team, the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) clarified yesterday. The total in attendance was far more than the close to 5,000 which was reported yesterday in these columns. The BFA confirmed that more than a quarter of the 35,000-capacity facility was filled. Filipinos both from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia attended the match”

Despite this, ‘the Azkals’ went right back to work in preparation for tonight’s friendly, which will be a second opportunity for them to  adapt to the region’s sweltering summer temperatures and gauge their level of readiness before flying off to Kuwait tomorrow.

“Playing these games here against Bahrain are really a big help to our team,” said ‘Azkals’ co-captain Emelio Caligdong, who scored their lone goal on Saturday with a spectacular rocket from 30 yards out.

Challenge

“This is a good challenge for us. It is our first time to play a Middle East team, and it is helping us get ready for Kuwait,” Caligdong added. “We are also very happy with the great reception we have had from the fans here; we would like to thank everyone for that.”

‘The Azkals’ trained for over an hour early yesterday evening at tonight’s match venue. They capped it off with a scrimmage against the varsity football team from AMA International University Bahrain, who are the major sponsors of their visit. The game, which featured shortened halves, ended tied 1-1.

Right after their workout, Bahrain’s Olympic squad took to the pitch. Coach Salman Shareeda said that he too is looking forward to tonight’s clash.

“These matches are like a high form of training for both teams,” Shareeda said yesterday. “I am very happy to be playing these friendly games and we welcome the Philippine team to Bahrain.

“For tomorrow, we have 26 players who are fit and ready. I gave a chance to some players in the first game on Saturday, and tomorrow I hope to give an opportunity to others. It will be a good game.”

Meanwhile, coach Weiss acknowledged that the level of football in the Gulf is on a higher level than in the Philippines, where, largely because of ‘the Azkals’, the game is now experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity.

“Football is much more developed here; it is a religion here and they focus on it at a very young age,” Weiss said. “The game is definitely highly advanced, and right now we cannot compare it with that in the Philippines, where it is now only growing.

“We rely on strong character and on Filipino players from outside to help football develop and bring it to a different level. But to be really being established in the football world, it will take another three to five years at least.”

Tonight’s match caps the first ever Bahrain-Philippines Friendship Games which have been organized by Creator Marketing Consultancy, in partnership with the Bahrain Football Association and Philippine Football Federation.

Tickets for the game can be purchased at the venue.

Also yesterday, ‘the Azkals’ met with Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Maria Corazon Yap-Bahjin during their visit to the Philippine Embassy. 

The Other Azkals In The Spotlight

Dinna Chan Vasquez

During the press conference for Suzuki Philippines' Hometown Heroes campaign early this week, the media was requested not to ask the guests questions about the other Philippine Azkals team members who were not present.

It was the day after the television stations aired the story alleging that four Azkals assaulted a woman and videotaped the whole thing.

Cousins Chieffy Caligdong and Ian Araneta, Roel Gener, Paolo Pascual and Yannick Tuason are used to the media focusing on the other Azkals’ players, those who were born abroad and/or those who have foreign blood.

‘‘Dati walang pumapansin sa amin. Ngayon, kilala na kami ng lahat kaya nakatulong ang pagdating ng ibang players sa Azkals (Nobody paid any attention to us before. Now, everybody knows us so in a way, the other players helped in generating attention for the whole team,’’ says winger/striker Chieffy Caligdong, who comes from Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo where it is said that boys learn how to play football the day they begin to walk.

“Masaya kami kasi ito na ang pinaghirapan namin (We’re happy because this is what we have worked,’’ says Gener, who is also from Barotac Nuevo.

Like Caligdong and Gener, Araneta believes that without the ‘‘foreign’’ players, the Philippine football team would not get this much attention.

‘‘Ang attention para sa isa ay attention para sa buong team (The attention being showered on one person is being enjoyed by the whole team),’’ he shares.

Pascual and Tuason are two of the team’s younger members.

‘‘We practice and train and we play because we love football,’’ says Tuason, an architecture student at the University of Sto. Tomas.

Goalkeeper Pascual started playing football at the age of seven. He was a striker until his coach saw that given his height (he's now 5'11"), he had the chance to become a good goalkeeper. He is now a member of the under-23 team.

“Lahat may chance. Mas maganda kung wag mo na ikumpara ang sarili mo sa iba. Naipapakita naman namin na may naitutulong kami sa team. Malaki nagagawa namin (Everybody will get his chance. It is better not to compare yourself to the others. We have shown that we can play well),’’ explains Caligdong.

Suzuki Philippines was one of the team’s staunchest supporters during the team’s journey to the 2010 AFC Suzuki Challenge Cup. Suzuki Philippines sponsored the first-ever PFF Suzuki U-23 National Cup which gathered players from the different member federations and pitted them against each other, a format similar to the AFF Suzuki Cup. The champions were given the chance to try out for the national team.

Hometown Heroes is an extensive campaign that will highlight the roots of the five Azkals players as they are from the Visayas and Mindanao. All of them are motorcycle riders. Araneta is, in fact, a racing enthusiast. Each player was given a Suzuki Skydrive 125 motorcycle.

The campaign will include billboards and print ads in the cities of Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu and Davao.

“This is part of Suzuki’s support for football and the national team. This will also promote our brand in areas where football is very popular. We are already strong in Luzon so we wanted to focus on Visayas and Mindanao as these areas are very crucial in achieving our sales target. We find football to be an effective tool in penetrating these areas. These hometown heroes are the best icons to represent local football,’’ says Suzuki Philippines president Satoshi Uchida.

Philippine Azkals 1 - 2 Bahrain (Highlights)

Brave Azkals Go Down Fighting

By PATRICK SALOMON

THE Philippines' senior men's national football team, more popularly known as 'the Azkals', put on a memorable show last night despite a 1-2 defeat to Bahrain's under-23 Olympic team.

The match was the first of two friendlies in three days between the two sides, and it kicked off the first-ever Bahrain-Philippines Football Friendship Games.

Close to 5,000 Filipinos braved yesterday's heat and humidity and flocked to the National Stadium in Riffa for the tie. Some were at the venue as early as 3pm, more than four hours ahead of the game's 7pm kick-off.

Such was the star power of the visiting 'Azkals', who were battling not only the talented hosts but also jet-lag and an all-new climate. They received inspiration though from their legion of fans, who cheered them on at their every kick.

"It felt like a home game," 'Azkals' captain Alexander Borromeo told the GDN. "The way the fans were cheering for us; it was great."

Sayed Dhiya Saeed scored the winning goal for Bahrain early in the second half. With the opposing defence napping, he received a brilliant pass right in the face of goal, and all he needed was to tap the ball past 'Azkals' goalkeeper Eduard Sacapano, who had guessed the wrong way.

Earlier, Abdulwahab Al Malood opened the scoring in the ninth minute, finishing a solo run on the left of the box with a fancy dribble and a superb shot past Philippine defender Anton del Rosario. Al Malood's strike powered into the top-left corner of the net, giving the hosts the early advantage.

But while Al Malood's shot was impressive, Emelio Caligdong's equaliser five minutes before half-time was a sight to behold.

Operating on the left flank, Caligdong unleashed a rocket from nearly 30 yards out that flew into the top-left corner of goal. Bahraini goalkeeper Eyad Nasser Salem had no chance of stopping the well-hit shot, and the Filipino fans erupted in celebration.

Their joy was short-lived, however, as only four minutes after the re-start, Saeed put Bahrain back in front with his tap-in from close range. Though it lacked the flare of the game's first two goals, it did its job for Bahrain.

'The Azkals' had a few chances to level the scores in the second half, but couldn't supply the finishing touch.

"It was a good experience for our side against a good Olympic team from Bahrain," 'Azkals' coach Hans Michael Weiss told the GDN. "We were missing a couple of players here and there, but big credit to our guys who overcame their fatigue and the heat tonight.

"I was happy with the game, and I am looking forward to the second match. It will be a different day, so hopefully a different game."

Popular 'Azkal' James Younghusband, who hit a long-range shot just right over the crossbar during the first half, commented: "It was a good test for us; especially to get used to this weather before Kuwait next week. Everyone worked hard, and we did well to keep the game close.

"The fantastic thing from tonight was all the support we got; it was outstanding to see all the fans come here and give us a cheer."

The 'Azkals' and Bahrain's Olympic team are set to meet once again tomorrow at the Muharraq Club stadium in Arad. The match starts at 7pm.

The Friendship Games have been organised by Creator Marketing Consultancy in partnership with the Bahrain Football Association and Philippine Football Federation. AMA International University Bahrain are the major sponsors.

For inquiries on tomorrow's game, call Rem on 36064822, Chris on 37768683, Rene on 39678323, Edith on 39678313, Nino on 36271121 or Rod on 36598588.

Bahrain's Olympic team are using the Friendship Games to help prepare for their upcoming campaign in the main round of Asian qualifying for next year's London Olympic Games. 'The Azkals', meanwhile, are gearing up for their matches against Kuwait later this month, which are in the second round of continental qualification for the 2014 Fifa World Cup. 'The Azkals' are expected to fly directly to Kuwait City from Bahrain for the first leg scheduled on July 23. The return match will be played in Manila on July 28.

Friendship Games sponsors: AMA International University Bahrain, Ponderosa, Bennigan's, Shawarma Express, Staz, Yum Chow Asian Cuisine, Fakhrawi Frames, Caravan, Nonoo Exchange, Treobiz, Fil-Am Association, McDonald's, Zens Flower, Dabarkads Restaurant, Fitness First, Impression Beauty Salon and Spa, Sahari Computer, Hot Pot Restaurant, Bahay Kubo Restaurant, Houras Consultancy, Chuckay Restaurant, GDN and Abante Middle East.

Azkals: The Death of Basketball?

By Ira Pedrasa, abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines - Football is back - and with a bang - thanks to the Philippine Azkals, who may force basketball into oblivion.

In his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Wednesday, Amando Doronila said “the revival of football means so much for sports-minded Filipinos. It means we are breaking away from the dominance of basketball—a syndrome that has stunted us from developing athletic prowess in other sports…”

Anthropologist Michael Tan agreed, saying “I like this new focus on football. For decades we have been too fixated on basketball but in terms of international competitiveness, we just don’t have it.”

He went on to say that football very much fits a Filipino’s temperament, like that of the Latin Americans.

He said this temperament is “passionate and ebullient, but also modulated by introspection and constant strategizing.” More importantly, there is more of team play, he averred.

In contrast, in basketball, the player should have a lot of “diskarte” and make do with a small court. Sometimes, “basketball players convert the court into a stage…often ending up so engrossed with individual performance that they lose sight of team play.”

Basketball not for Filipinos?

Doronila even thought of the 4-to-0 win of the Azkals against the Sri Lanka Red Braves on Sunday as a “massacre,” noting “the locals bombarded the Sri Lankan goal with an impunity and élan seen often in the big league World Cup teams.”

The Azkals' win on Sunday brings the country to the second of six qualifying rounds of the World Cup. The team will face the more-experienced Kuwait on July 23 and 28.

Tan said even professional football player Neko Lambey is “gung-ho” about the team reaching Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where the 2014 World Cup will be held.

Doronila said the country is finally starting to demonstrate that Filipinos can play, and even win, on the playing field where they are not physically handicapped.

“In basketball, we are born losers and we are likely to be doomed to remain a basket case and waste our energies. It is a sport whose only function is to encourage puerile intercollegiate athletic competition, where pride rests on performance in basketball games,” he said.

Achieving the “goal”

To be able to achieve such goals, however, Tan said there is a need for support both from the government and the private sector.

Sports analyst Boyet Sison agreed, saying that upgraded facilities, funding for players and good coaches could finally push the sport back into the Filipino’s senses. Sison is also the host of ANC’s Hardball.

He disagreed, however, that football can overshadow basketball in a country that relies heavily on “visuals.”

“I think, for now, that football is experiencing a resurgence...It helped that the Azkals are fueling the imagination of the public now because they’re making history,” he said.

There may be a downtrend in the ticket sales for certain basketball leagues, but the Filipinos’ love for basketball will always be there, he said.

“Basketball and football can coexist. In terms of training, a football player can do as well in basketball because of [his or her] stamina,” he said.

On one hand, basketball and football should not even be compared, he said. “For one, you’re also talking about pitch conditions…In basketball, they’re always up to standards.”

For football to co-exist with basketball, the private sector should already come in, he said.

Sison said the sport is ready for “commercialization,” which would provide better television and print mileage as well as “create a profession, livelihood for players.”

Already, television is bombarded with advertisements of the Azkals: brothers Phil and James Younghusband are promoting a clothing line as well as a fast-food chain, team captain Aly Borromeo for an underwear line, and striker Chieffy Caligdong for a food supplement.

The advertisements are also wide-ranging, with the Azkals even promoting a brand of condiments.

Kuwait not taking chances, training hard for Azkals match

By Cedelf P. Tupas

Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines – Kuwait isn’t taking any chances against the Philippines in their second round qualifying tie late this month for the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

Already fancied to prevail because of their international pedigree, the Kuwaitis are also relentless in their preparations, undergoing an extensive 10-day training camp in Lebanon before seeing action in a four-nation tournament in Jordan in the middle of this month.

Bader Abdul Jalil, the secretary of the Kuwait FA technical committee, actually watched the two legs of the first round showdown between the Azkals and Sri Lanka, which ended in an impressive 5-1 aggregate win for the Filipinos.

“They’ve been preparing against us for the past two months,” said former national coach Aris Caslib, also the PFF’s technical director, who had a brief chat with Jalil at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, where the Azkals fashioned out a 4-nil triumph in the second leg last Sunday.

The Kuwaitis, ranked 102nd by the International Football Federation and a 10-time Gulf Cup of Nations champion, bared their attacking teeth in a 6-0 dumping of Lebanon last July 2.

The match, however, was marred by a bench-clearing brawl that forced military to fire warning shots.

“Kuwait is at a different level,” said team manager Dan Palami. “We cannot afford to make the same mistakes against Sri Lanka because they have the ability to really punish us.”

The key stretch of Kuwait’s preparation will be in Amman, Jordan, where the Kuwaitis will play Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

The first leg will be played at the 22,000-seater Mohammad Al-Hammad Stadium in Hawally, Kuwait, at 7:30 p.m. on July 23 (12:30 a.m., July 24 in Manila), according to the Kuwait FA website with the return match at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on July 28.

Azkals Face Toughest Opponent in Kuwait

SPORTS FOR ALL By Philip Ella Juico (The Philippine Star) 

The Philippine Azkals continue to march on after defeating the Sri Lanka Brave Reds in the second leg of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial Football and Track and Field Sunday, 4-0. An overflow crowd of about 14,000, the largest at the football stadium in years, braved the mid-afternoon downpour and the humidity that followed the rains. It was the first time for the Philippines to win a World Cup qualifier.

With the Philippines having played the Sri Lankans to a 1-all standoff in Colombo a week ago, the aggregate score was 5 to 1.

Breaking the ice for the Filipinos in the 19th minute was the diminutive left wing midfielder/forward Emelio (Chieffy) Caligdong from about 15 feet of the goal mouth. A few minutes later, a Sri Lankan was showed the yellow card by one of the four Korean officials assigned to keep order in a game which was marked by some physical contact and verbal exchanges. At the end of the game, four fouls were called against the Filipinos compared to the Sri Lankans three. The Azkals, who attempted 27 times, and the Brave Reds were each shown the yellow card twice.

Some 20 minutes into the second half, Caligdong was down on the pitch and taken out on a stretcher. Four minutes later, the scrappy Caligdong got back into the game to the delight of the crowd. Both squads played aggressively with the Sri Lankans obviously feeling the pressure especially after Fil-British Phil Younghusband made it 2-0 for the Filipinos on the 42nd minute of the first half. The Sri Lankans protested Younghusband’s goal to no avail.

With 50 minutes into the match, rightwing midfielder James Younghusband passed the ball to midfielder Angel Guirado Aldeguer who zigzagged his way into scoring territory and eluded several Sri Lankan defenders to score another goal to make it 3 to zero. The Fil-Spanish Guirado was easily one of the most outstanding players in the Azkals side as he performed his midfielder role of providing the link and the spark in the team’s transition from defense to offense.

Some six minutes after Guirado’s spectacular goal, Phil Younghusband, who was reported to have suffered from severe cramps after the match, scored on a penalty kick to make it 4-0. The Filipinos had clearly mastered the Sri Lankans, ranked per the FIFA Coca-Cola world rankings as of June 29, 2011, 171 in a field of more than 200 countries. The Philippines is ranked 159.

Kuwait, ranked 102, will be the highest ranked team that the Philippines will meet in recent times. Mongolia is at 179 while Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia are ranked 123, 132, 140, 142 and 144, respectively.

The matches in the second round against Kuwait will definitely be much tougher. To begin with, the Kuwaitis have been in one World Cup Finals appearance, the 1982 tournament in Spain which was won by Italy over West Germany, 3-1. The World Cup in Spain marked the first time the finals expanded from 16 to 24 teams thus providing a break for African and Asian teams.

The Kuwaitis, entered in Group 4, battled Czechoslovakia to a 1-1 draw but lost to England and France, which eventually landed in fourth place.

The game between France and Kuwait was, according to reports, a tumultuous one which saw Sheik Fahid Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, brother of the Kuwaiti Emir and president of the Kuwaiti Football Association confront Russian referee MIroslav Stupar who allowed a French goal after the Kuwaitis stopped play after they allegedly heard a whistle from the stands. The French played on and scored a goal prompting Al-Sabah to confront Stupar who, surprisingly, disallowed the goal. The decision infuriated the French who promptly scored another goal a few minutes later. The French won, 4-1 while Stupar lost his international refereeing credentials. Al-Sabah was meted a fine of US$10,000.

The Kuwaitis eventually crashed out of the elimination group stage together with the Czechs with a goal difference of -4: two goals scored for versus six goals against. Kuwait drew one game and lost two games: to England and France.

Unsuccessful in World Cup football, the Kuwaitis fared better in the Asian Cup reaching the finals in 1976 and winning the title in 1980. It has also the upper hand in terms of goal difference versus ASEAN teams like Singapore (+12), Thailand (+10), Malaysia (+21), Indonesia (+5) and Vietnam (+1).

The Kuwaitis competed in the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Kuwait’s 20-0 victory over tiny Bhutan was, for a time the biggest winning margin in international football. That record was broken when Australia mangled Tonga, 22-0.

Surely, against Kuwait, the Azkals have their work cut out for them.