16 August 2013

Bacoleño, Negrense Fans to Witness Azkals Games This October

Submitted by James Toga


TALISAY CITY – Bacolod and Negros football fans get another chance to witness the Philippine men’s football team – Azkals playing at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City tentatively on October 11, 13 and 15.
This was disclosed yesterday by Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella, who was also present during the opening of Super Metro at The District North Point Ayala Mall here in Talisay City.
"Last year’s Peace Cup, we beaten teams from Chinese Taipei, Guam and Hongkong to bag the crown. This time, our national team will be playing against the top teams from Europe," said Puentevella, who is also a FIFA Marketing and Television executive.
Puentevella said that Cyril Dofitas, Philippine Football Federation Tournament Committee head, has already given the green light for Panaad to stage the event.
"It’s a big development for Bacolod, because hotels and other businesses will benefit from this international competition," Puentevella said. "I’m asking those who want to watch the games to make early booking on our hotels because tourists are expecting to flock in the city for the Masskara celebration," he added.
The tournament will, likewise, serve as part of the national squad’s preparation for next year’s AFC Challenge Cup. The team advance in 2014 Challenge Cup after topping Group E last March at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Moreover, it will also be Panaad’s first game featuring the Azkals and foreign teams after it last hosted the Philippines-Guam friendly last June 12, 2012.

Negros Daily Bulletin

12 comments:

  1. "Top teams from Europe"... lmao!! Like that's really gonna happen!

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    1. I wonder how "top" these teams are. I dont imagining seeing the top countries in Europe flying out to the Philippines to play the azkals.

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  2. first: last year the Azkals didn't play vs. Hongkong it was Macau. Second: how will be the top teams from Europe? For sure not Netherlands, England, Germany and a likes. I even don't think any team will come to visit Philippine soil (maybe junior teams) as on Oct. 11 and 15 Europe will have it's last 2 World Cup qualifying match days (group stage)

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  3. Bacolod is full of air :-)

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  4. This is the kind of crap you would expect from an airhead 'marketing executive'. European football is far too busy in October for any team to be dumb enough to fly to Asia for fun.

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    1. Speaking of European football. Stephan Schrock of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga just played an exceptional game against UEFA champions Bayern Munich. Though they lost 0 - 1, he played the full 93 minutes and did well in shackling French Int'l. Ribbery at left flank. You can view the full game at livefootballvideo.com.

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    2. actually schrock had a tough game as he was having problems containing ribery. alaba also had a lot of good runs in his flank. hope he sees more action though and gain more confidence in their upcoming games.

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    3. Its just great to experience two of our own (Schrock and Alaba) competing at such a high level. Hope our local tv channels would show more of these games. It would surely bring greater interest to this beautiful game. Not even our more popular basketball can claim this level of competition.

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    4. "Two of our own"?!?! lol!

      Alaba may be of Filipino descent, that doesn't really make him "one of our own". He's Austrian and also plays on the Austrian NT!

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    5. That's true. But I'd like to direct you to a May 26 post in Sandro Reyes' facebook page. The young boy apparently had a close encounter with David Alaba's family and he posted a picture of David proudly wearing the Philippine flag during one of his Champions League matches for Bayern Munich. Its sad that due to the lack of foresight among our sports leaders, the Philippines has not been able to fully tap the talents of many of our co-filipinos who are equally proud of their ancestry. Heck, if newspaper accounts are correct, SBP spent some 500M in the FIBA Asia effort, including naturalizing imports. Certainly with the right leadership, its not impossible to imagine our country a highly competitive national team with players of filipino descent.

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  5. You bet there's lots of untapped Filipino talent abroad but think about it for a minute. If you were a promising young star would you prefer to aim to play at the top level for your country of residence or sacrifice all to play minor internationals for PHI?

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    1. Agree.
      Schrok must be regretting now

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