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

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.

The Azkals are for every Juan

By RENEE A. FOPALAN

At a time when our senses are bombarded by everything Azkals, it may seem easy to forget what they really do. They’re everywhere, endorsing food, shoes, credit cards, mobile phones, and everything else in between. Last Sunday, the Azkals showed us what they are about- what they are really about. Last Sunday, we laid down the foundation towards the road to the World Cup. 

Decisions 

Just when the game started, the rain started to pour. It wasn't a shy drizzle. It poured hard. People were still trying to flood into the coliseum. At the gate, we were all asked to choose: stay here half-dry with our umbrellas or leave our umbrellas and be allowed in. I asked if we could leave our umbrellas outside, and if there is an item depositing system similar to malls. They said no. So if you leave your umbrella, you may never see it again. 

So many Manilenyos got free umbrellas that day

Wet and excited, everyone ran through the rain, giggling, even screaming. At the back of their minds, I knew these people running with me were prepared to miss work or school the next day. I also thought that a paracetamol company should have sponsored this event. We were all soaked in the middle of Manila. Going up the bleachers to see the pitch, we were treated to such a glorious sight. We were reminded what we were all doing it for. As in a society where divisions define, this single game made us all want to be one. 

Bleachers 

The bleachers had a different atmosphere. Anyone with 200 pesos to spare could enjoy the game. There were students, families, messengers, and bums. Women screamed "outside!" when the ball touched the line, while young men basked in the attention of being able to explain what the offside rule is all about. Several had the remnants from last year's World Cup. Vuvuzelas were present, and were used as an accompaniment to the chants. It was a festive experience, something very foreign to the people around me. 

We had nothing in common, and everything at the same time

With the umbrella ban enforced, some people wisely "borrowed" the tarpaulins displayed around to use them in the pouring rain. Whole families used plastic and garbage bags, while some mothers frantically tried to cover their children's heads with anything they could find. 

The rain would have been our ultimate equalizer. But as the giant flag, covering six rows of people, made its way around the bleachers, we realized that it wasn't the rain. It was football. 

Kaholeros 

Football is a very emotional spectator sport. In huge arenas, people are given a lot more liberty to lose themselves. This concept has yet to be adapted by the Filipino football fan. Tens of thousands of people were in the crowd with the Kaholeros. The Kaholeros, all three hundred of them, tapped beats into the their aquadrums- five-gallon water jugs converted to play street music for a team whose name is derived from street dogs. They kept it going, especially in the moments between goals. I look forward to the days when the Filipino football fan starts dancing to the beat of the aquadrum. Even better, I look forward to the Filipino football fan bringing his own aquadrum to the games. But for now, the Kaholeros take the lead, cheering for “halfies" and hometown heroes alike. 

The Kaholeros, the Azkals' official pep squad, led the cheers in the roofless stands where fans were not permitted to bring umbrellas. The seats remained filled even during the first-half downpour.

Chieffy 

One Azkal that emerged as a crowd favorite is Iloilo-native Chieffy Caligdong. The Philippine Air Force winger went down hard in the 69th minute. He was carried out on a stretcher. It was a tense moment in the field, as Filipino fans have grown to know and love the pride of Barotac Nuevo. He came back to the field after three minutes. Everyone got to breathe again. 

In the bleachers, there was a whole section of Chieffy fans. These same fans are the ones who traveled to Panaad Stadium for the AFC Challenge Cup last February, with most of them coming from his hometown. 

At the end of the match, Chieffy joined the other players in giving out Azkals shirts to the fans. A policeman on the pitch asked for one. He wasn't successful. For Chieffy, it was all for the fans. It seems that in the end, he decided to keep one for himself. But one man in the Chieffy section of the bleachers shouted something to him. He came back. He didn't throw the last shirt. He personally handed it to the man who now has a story to tell to his children and grandchildren for a lifetime. 

Chieffy Caligdong has arrived. He seems to have evolved to become a symbol. With the influx of half-Filipinos in our national teams, some local Philippine team aspirants may feel that their chances of getting in may be slimmer. But here's Chieffy, proving to everyone that a locally born and raised athlete can come to play, even score the first goal to give his teammates the confidence to pour it on even more. Chieffy started, and his teammates responded, rewarding us all with a 4-0 win. 

Appreciation 

The boys went around the stadium to thank the crowd. It was a realization of dreams for so many. For the players like Ian Araneta, Aly Borromeo, and Chieffy Caligdong, this is what they have waited for all their lives. They've been playing far too long in dusty fields with sub-par upkeep, and now thousands of people cheer for them in an arena minutes away from home. It is a realization of dreams for the "halfies", too, who spent years playing in foreign lands. Now, they earn their international caps in their mothers’ homeland; now, they are heroes. Finally, it is a realization of dreams for the Filipino. In a time where there are so many things to complain about, we finally have something to cheer for. 

The fans went home soaked that day. They didn't really care. They patiently wait for July 28, when the Azkals will have their home game against Kuwait. Till then, we go on with our lives. We wait. We look forward to another shared Azkals experience because only then do we become one. -- OMG, GMA News