Reigning AFC Challenge Cup champion Palestine will headline the teams that have been invited for the Philippine Peace Cup next month at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Philippine Football Federation is also eyeing Southeast Asian side Myanmar and Chinese-Taipei to compete in the tournament tentatively slated Sept. 3 to 9.
The Philippines has won the last two editions of the tournament held last year in Bacolod, where the Azkals lost to the Taiwanese before beating Pakistan for the trophy.
PFF general secretary Ed Gastanes said the federation will announce the list of teams for the tournament on Wednesday, a day after the draw of the AFF Suzuki Cup is held in Hanoi.
“We will finalize the details (of the Peace Cup) after the Suzuki Cup draw,” said Gastanes.
Should Palestine confirm its participation in the tournament, it will give the Azkals a chance to avenge their 0-1 defeat in the finals of the AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives last May.
The loss proved painful as it also denied the Azkals the remaining spot in the prestigious AFC Cup in Australia next year.
The Azkals have not seen action since their loss to the Palestinians last May and coach Thomas Dooley is already eager to whip his players into fighting form once more.
Read more: http://sports.inquirer.net/160614/palestine-may-headline-peace-cup#ixzz39MLrFN5e
I hope the PFF realizes that inviting Palestine at this time in the middle of the Israeli Gaza Palestinian conflict, is somewhat of a political minefield, with the potential of affecting our relations with both Israel, which provides some of our arms, and Middle Eastern countries where we get most of our oil.
ReplyDeleteThe very essence of sports is non-political. I'd be very disappointed with Israel if they somehow see this as something to cause souring of national relations with the Philippines. I think they are better than that. In fact, the very title of Peace Cup is even more appropriate that they will include a party that is involve in a war at the moment. This should be a message of peace from the Palestinian team not only for Israel but to Hamas as well, and the region in general.
DeleteAgree with you Anon 22:32. Football, or for that matter any sports, must be beyond government politics. Sports must always be free from strictures of governmental considerations. Ideally, sports must help highlight need for peace anywhere.
ReplyDeleteIdeally that is the case, but we don't live in an ideal world and there are consequences which we have no control over, when we try to ignore political reality.
ReplyDeletethese are sportsmen and not soldiers you fool!!! If you say for instance you invite and celebrate a terrorist then yes that's a cause for political backlash. 100 years ago, christmas eve, germans and allied soldiers celebrated christmas together in the middle of a freaking world war. how did that happened??? oh yeah because ideal events dont happen in the "real world". you know nothing!!!! how should a palestinian team playing in the philippines under the title of "PEACE CUP" be a cause of political difficulties between nations??? Do you honestly think Israel would care much if a group of 23 men kicking ball in another country while they are dealing with a war??? you gotta be shitting me...
DeleteIf that were so, Israel will still be playing in the AFC and other Asian organizations, since geographically they are part of Asia. But politics reared its ugly head and they had to leave. What do you think would happen if Israel would also be invited to this tournament? It would be politically impossible despite all parties being sportsman. In fact, one of Israel's football teams games in Austria had to be abandoned because some of the Palestinian fans were less than sportsmanlike and attacked the players. Of course I am not saying that the Palestinian do not have legitimate beef with Israel. I am just saying that it is naive to say that you can ignore political reality when discussing sporting events.
DeleteLet's also invite Ukraine and Libya to fill in the other slots. Let there be peace!
ReplyDelete