Visa Hitch Keeps Team At Airport For 6 Hours

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 13: The Philippine Azkals arrived in Kuwait from Bahrain on Saturday at around 1:14 pm but were stuck at the Kuwait International Airport for six hours due to the delay in the processing of their visas upon arrival despite the presence of some officials from the Kuwait Football Association who were there to welcome and assist the team led by its Azkals coach Michael Weiss.

Philippine embassy officials headed by Vice Consul Sheila Monedero, Assistance to Nationals Unit Head Dalidig Ibrahim Tanandato, Welfare Officer Norlita Lugtu and Edd Dabuet also waited for the Azkals at the arrival hall until 7:00 pm. Some Azkals fans took their gripes for the long delay on Twitter wherein visa should have been issued beforehand.

In response, the Kuwait Football Association in its official Twitter account tweeted to the Azkals fans: “@KuwaitFA: We extend our deep apology to Philippines Team and Community, the delay at airport was beyond our control.” Despite the visa hitch, the Philippine Azkals are on high spirits, fresh from its impressive performance after surprising Bahrain with a scoreless draw in a friendly on Friday night at the Al Muharraq Stadium in Manama.

The Azkals are set to go up against Kuwait’s Al-Azraq National Football Team in a FIFA friendly match on Tuesday at the Kuwait Sports Club Stadium in Kaifan. According to the Kuwait Football Association, the kick-off time will be at 6:50 pm and tickets priced at KD 1, KD 2 and KD 3 will be available at the stadium’s box-office. Brothers James and Phil Younghusband will be rejoining the Philippine Men’s Football National Team in Kuwait after missing the Philippine Football Peace Cup last month.

It may be recalled that Kuwait’s Al-Azraq stopped the Azkals from its dream of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup last year. Over 15,000 Filipinos cheered for the Azkals in Qadisya Stadium during the match.
Filipinos are excited to see some power-packed action between the Azkals and Al-Azraq as they hope to see a stronger Azkals this time to go up against Kuwait’s Al-Azraq.

Arab Times