08 March 2013

Azkals hope to play one more friendly before AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers

By Karlo Sacamos



THE Philippine men’s football team is hoping to arrange one more friendly with a higher-ranked opponent before plunging into action in the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup Group E Qualifiers later this month.


Local football officials refused to reveal which country the Azkals are hoping to play against and the venue is still also uncertain, although the friendly has been set for March 17.


Philippine Football Federation secretary-general Ed Gastanes said the team is “far higher in ranking” than the 147th-ranked Azkals, who have had a shortage of tune-up games this year.


“An ideal situation is one more match. We have one match being worked on but it’s not yet closed. We’re hoping in the next day or two, it will be clearer,” Gastanes said on Thursday during the official press conference for the Challenge Cup qualifiers set from March 22 to 26 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Adding to the uncertainty of the proposed friendly is the unavailability of Rizal in Manila, Panaad Stadium in Bacolod, and the Cebu City Sports Complex due to various reasons.

Gastanes said the parties are now discussing either Hong Kong or Macau as possible venue for the friendly.

“But there is nothing certain about it. We are crossing our fingers,” Gastanes said, adding the Azkals, grouped with Turkmenistan, Cambodia, and Brunei in the qualifiers, would have to make do with their own training camp if plans miscarry.

spin.ph



10 comments:

  1. Bad planning by PFF . They are playing on 17 th but dont know against who ? First they said they could not play abroad because of UFL , but now they are playing in Hong Kong or Macau ? Maybe they end up playing against PSG or Green Archers...

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  2. still hoping something comes up...

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  3. typical pff /filipino planning.....the qualifiers can turn into a desaster...i mean no preperation for it....if you see how the other teams prepare with training camps and friendlies....they rely too much on the coming of the oversea players....like they will steer the ship into the right direction....and in case the team fails they will blame the oversea players again....

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    1. PFF thinks our overseas player are like messi and ronaldo.
      Liittle do the realise that these players are just bench warmers only who dun even play at all.
      Some even get sacked by the clubs like guirado.

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    2. That may be the case for some of them, but at the end of the day, they're still better than what is available domestically!

      It's pretty much a catch 22... do you use the overseas pros who are barely playing or use sub par players who are playing but at a very low level domestically? At this point in time, the best choice is still the former!

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  4. I totally agree with the 3 anonymous. PFF is messing things up again not only in the senior level but all the youth national teams wherein no definite managers where being assigned for each national categories like U11, U13, U15, U17 and U19. I heard that politics is causing these teams to stall and take a step back in its development and preparation because many rich and famous people wants to hold each category and could potentially endanger the core of the team and its best players specially the poor ones from the province.

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    1. There is no national U-11 team. lol

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    2. There is now.

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  5. in the age groups, its business as usual, only the players based in manila make it to the team unless the parents have connections to the coaches or pff officials. we should scout from the palaro where you can find all the best players in the country (up to high school). if you are foootballer and you haven't reached the palaro apex, you suck or your schoo/mother team sucks.

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    1. Palaro is not the best tournament to scout the best players because PFF has its own Festival of Football. Some players haven't played in the Palaro but had been choosen to represent the national team. I think not playing in the National team is the ultimate gauge of a player and not Palarong Pambansa.

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