Lucena, Jonsson might suit up for Azkals

FOLLOWING the suspension of Philippine National Football Men’s Team-Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo and Fil-German midfielder Stephan Schrock in the away leg of the Philippine-Kuwait World Cup Asia second round qualifier on July 23, Fil-Danish Jerry Lucena and Fil-Icelandic Ray Anthony Jonsson are most likely to suit up for the team.


This was disclosed Tuesday to Sun.Star-Bacolod by the team’s coordinator Patrick Ace Bright.

However, he said that the final decision will be known Wednesday after the team’s meeting.


Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman and Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Advisory Council member Monico Puentevella also said that the final decision will still depend on who will be available to play on July 23rd.


Earlier, Home Match General Coordinator Cathy Nazareno-Rivilla inquired about the status of the two yellow cards levied on both Borromeo and Shrock during the Azkals’ game against Sri Lanka.


"The yellow cards received by your players from Round 1 & 2 will be carried over," the Asian Football Confederation Competitions Officer of the National Teams Competition Department emailed to the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), according to Azkals’ media officer Rick Olivares


Thus, the two yellow cards in the two-leg duel with Sri Lanka had been ruled an automatic one-game ban for the two players in the second round of the qualifiers.


Meanwhile, Olivares said that the announcement for the sale of tickets to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Round 2 Leg 2 between Philippines and Kuwait will be made on Friday, July 8 by the PFF Local Organizing Committee.


On the other hand, the Azkals is set to hold a training camp in Bahrain in the middle of the month to play against that nation’s U-23 team to adjust to the Middle East conditions before going to Kuwait City for the away match on July 23.


Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on July 06, 2011.