By FRANCIS SANTIAGOJuly 6, 2011, 8:23pmMANILA, Philippines — German coach Michael Weiss is urging the Philippine Football Federation to also focus its attention to the needs of the football team being formed for the 26th Southeast Asian Games slated in Indonesia.
The squad started its training two weeks ago at the Philsports Arena with Azkals midfielder Simon Greatwich leading some 20 aspirants who showed up.
But Weiss, who also handles the Philippine Azklas, rues the fact that the PFF failed to provide the players – some of them coming from the provinces – their basic needs to sustain their training.
“I hope the football enthusiasm will keep growing and corporate sponsors will keep stepping in so that we can finance all this because right now it’s still difficult,” Weiss, 46, said after steering the Azkals to a 4-0 victory against Sri Lanka in the first round of the World Cup qualifiers last Sunday.
“For example our U-23 team, they don’t have training place, they don’t have accommodation, food, whatever. (It’s) very pitiful.”
The team faces a Herculean task of winning the country’s first ever medal in the men’s football of the biennial event and Weiss said football officials should also pour in the same support to the team they provide with the Azkals.
“We also have many, many super talents there (Under-23 team) and still the focus is mostly on Azkals. So I wish that we can go now on the younger stage and field the young ones because these are the future,” Weiss said.
Reached for comment, PFF president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said they are now addressing their needs.
“Some players are billeted there (Philsports Arena) and their quarters need some blankets and pillows and other stuffs. We are now coordinating with the Philippine Sports Commission to address the problems,” said Araneta, which said they intend to spend P8 million for the entire SEA Games preparation.
The biennial meet begins from Nov. 11 to 25 in Palembang and the capital city of Jakarta and the PFF has actually given the Under-23 team a shot in the arm following the appointment of veteran German coach Erich Rutemoller as its advisor.
Manila Bulletin
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This is shocking news and makes the millions spent on all these lengthy foreign training trips for the senior squad even more questionable.
ReplyDeleteAny brutally honest coach knows training can only polish essential skills learned in teenage years. After that, no amount of coaching can teach a player to shoot and pass accurately with both feet; smoothly control a ball arriving at any speed or reachable height; or have the savvy to know that movement off the ball is just as important as movement with it.
Claims of helping 'cohesion' and 'bonding' are also provable nonsense. These benefits can only be gained if at least 11 team (not squad) members train together. This can't happen because vital players never arrive until close to match day.
All this endless training - a luxury enjoyed by no other national team on the planet - could easily be done at home with no loss in performance. Every second game at least is going to be played in the Philippines and those millions squandered on entourage travel costs could go where they should be going: towards helping the nation's youth.
Of course this is shocking that so many stuff is missing for the U-23 squad. But I don't think foreign training camps were waste of money. if you want to improve you have to play at a higher level with stronger opponents then it is neccessary to go abroad (in case of our national team). It makes no sense to prepare and play just vs. teams like Macau, Timor Leste or Cambodia.....if you want to go to the next level then you have to invest money. many national teams have also expensive training camps, just some (mostly European ones) don't need to go abroad because they are all well trained and have strong opponents for tune up matches in their country etc.
ReplyDelete"It makes no sense to prepare and play just vs. teams like Macau, Timor Leste or Cambodia.."
ReplyDeleteActually playing Cambodia would be a considered a good warm-up match. Past results against Cambodia alone indicate that it's an pretty even contest. Then you take a look at the actual performances, then you'll see that we even struggle against them. Same thing for Laos except that we've never defeated them.
Shocking!!!!
ReplyDeleteThey are lacking pillows, blankets, food. coach Weiss is not some Euro snob. He coached in Rwanda so he is probably not easily shocked by poverty and rough conditions. When you cannot feed a player and give him a pillow and blanket the cost of a junket to Germany seems extravagant.
ReplyDeleteThis is not exactly shocking. The PFF has gotten used to having people like Palami to answer for all the expenses of the nationsl team and many have the impression that although the PFF do have the financial resources they seem to be hesitant in investing on our local players.
ReplyDeleteWhy were these local players asked to come to Manila without ensuring that the players will be provided with a decent accommodation, healthy meals and all other basic needs including training venue? This is nothing new-----this has been going on for years now. The provincial players do not get the same treatment and respect as the Fil-Foreigners or Manila players. We are aware that recently there was a meeting regarding the training camp to be held in Manila for the National u23 Philippine Team. What did they discuss and accomplish in that meeting if the basic needs and training needs of these players have not been addressed?
As Head Coach of the U23 it was Coach Weiss responsibility to ensure the players basic needs have been addressed even before they get to Manila. If there were issues such as this then the players should have been advised to postpone their trip to Manila until such issues have been addressed. It is useless to be whining now when Weiss was/ is in the perfect position to demand from the PFF but at the end of the day the bucket stops with the PFF.
We hope we give equal importance to our youth teams as they are the future of Philippine Football unless we will be forever relaying on recruiting fil-foreigners.
Super well said.
ReplyDeleteWhen Palami/Araneta took over it looked like we were heading for a new caring regime. This disgraceful neglect of young talent makes it seem like the bad old days are still around.
I would like to believe that the expenses for these trainings and trips abroad come from sponsors and not from PFF coffers since PFF does not have the money. Why doesnt Palami manage the U-23 as well since the coach and a number of players in the team play for the Azkals as well?
ReplyDeleteSponsors don't pay bills. They sign contracts agreeing to pay 'X' pisos for 'X' period.
ReplyDeleteAll cash goes to the PFF to be spent as they choose. Sponsors can only be involved in matters relating to advertising.