MANILA, Philippines - With a training camp in Qatar and Australia no longer feasible, the Philippine Azkals are eyeing a stint in Germany as part of their preparations for their 2014 Fifa World Cup Asian Qualifiers matchup with Sri Lanka.
Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta said team manager Dan Palami and the Azkals’ German coach Michael Weiss are working out a possible session in Germany for their planned foreign training on June 7-17. This after Qatar and Australia could not guarantee available teams for tune-up matches.
“I’ve instructed Dan and coach Michael to check if we can get teams to play for tune-up games if we go to Germany,” Araneta told The STAR.
The Azkals were originally looking at Qatar for their buildup for June 29 away game and July 3 home match with Sri Lanka. Australia was another possible training site.
“Mukhang malabo na yung sa Qatar because according to their football federation, there are no teams available that time. It will be useless if we go without playing practice games there,” Araneta said. “As for Australia, it’s winter in June and off-season so there will be no teams, too. So we have to find another place,” he added.
Meanwhile, the PFF and Philippine Sports Commission will ask the Department of Public Works and Highway for an evaluation on the “structural integrity” of the Rizal Memorial stadium, one of the possible sites for the Azkals’ home game.
“If it’s structurally feasible, then there’s a chance that we’ll hold the game here,” Palami said after a meeting with PSC officials yesterday.
Cracks in same areas of the bleachers section have been noted in the decades-old facility and officials want to know if it can host an expected 20,000 fans. “We have to be sure about their safety,” Araneta said.
philstar.com
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WORLD CUP and SEAG preperation in Nagold Cup:
ReplyDeleteAlso GREUTHER FÜRTH star STEFAN SCHROECK beside HOFFENHEIM´s David Alaba will join the PHILPPINES AZKAL SELECTION TEAM in Nagold Cup Germany.
Every german or philippine Fan is welcomed ( mabuhay ).
Prizes can be earned @the german famous ZDF GOAL WALL!...
http://cebufa.org/forum/index.php?to...sg5973#msg5973
The more we read about Azkals' plans the more it's obvious how naive the PFF is.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, places like Australia and Qatar should never be mentioned without basic research and the decency to contact their respective FA's before yakking to the media.
Secondly, what are games against Australians or Qataris or any other higher level nation going to do for the squad other than embarrass them like those college kids in Japan.
Team coordination and performance is improved by playing WITH each other, not against better opposition. There are enough squad members to have regular 11 v 11-a-side games. This is all that's needed for any coach to tune a team.
Thirdly, the millions donated by foreign FA's
were intended to improve football at grassroots level, not to finance hugely expensive and mostly worthless training trips abroad.
If not for the expense, I would say that it is a great idea. I can't imagine that Coach Weiss would allow them to be led like lambs to a slaughter in his home country. I am sure that the facilities will be excellent and that Coach Weiss will be able to arrange top guest coaches and trainers. They can only benefit by being immersed in a football culture. That being said, money is an issue for pinoy football. There is more than one national team (the Malditas and the youth teams). In other countries their national men's teams generate ticket revenue, television revenue, and prize money that can be shared with the other programs and grassroots football Therefore it makes financial sense to invest money to get that revenue. The Azkals do not generate this type of money so there is no "trickle down" to other programs. If they have been able to raise funds and sponsorships, I have no problem with the Azkals spending the money that they have raised. If it is PFF money that is being spent and every other program suffers as a result, then a European training camp may qualify as a poor use of limited resources.
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