It’s final: No home game for Azkals
SOURCE:Sid Ventura Yahoo! Southeast Asia
Filipinos will not be able to cheer for their football team in their semifinal duel against Indonesia in the Suzuki Cup. The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) recently reaffirmed an earlier decision not to hold one of the matches in the Philippines due to the lack of a suitable venue.
Instead, both matches will be played in Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta. This gives the Indonesians, who are already heavy favorites against the upstart Azkals, complete home field advantage. In order to advance to the finals, the team would have to do so despite an expected hostile crowd for the entire semifinal series.
In a statement, the Azkals made an impassioned appeal today to the AFF to have the first semis match on December 16 held in Panaad, Bacolod. The team claimed they were not consulted about the AFF’s decision. They only learned about it shortly after drawing with Myanmar last night.
“As we drew Myanmar in a scoreless affair that saw us finish second to Vietnam in our Group,” the team said in their statement, “we received word that the Asean Football Federation has deemed that our homefield of Panaad, Bacolod [lacking in] the requirements of the AFF Suzuki Cup after consultations with PFF President Jose Mari Martinez. Therefore, our hard-fought ‘home game’ will be played either in a neutral venue or at the homefield of the other semis winner.”
The team likewise pointed out: “We deplore this decision that was arrived at without consulting the national team management team or even having the facilities inspected. We believe that this is an opportunity to provide Filipinos with a chance to watch some world-class football action that will inspire our countrymen to take up the sport and break new ground for the Philippines.”
They went on to say, “Just as you were all on our side when we were playing in Vietnam, we ask that every Filipino and football fan out there to express this indignation with regard to this decision in every venue, fora, or media so that we may treat the country to Azkals football. We implore you to express yourself on Twitter, Facebook, messenger, and everywhere else. After all, the home field game is rightfully ours.”
(The full text of the Azkals statement may be found here.)
Answering the call of the Azkals, football fans have set up several support sites on Facebook with the hope of getting the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to stand up for the Azkals and convince the AFF to hold the first match in Panaad.
But unless by some miracle the AFF suddenly changes its mind, there will be no match in Panaad. The AFF did not specify in its press release which among requirements of the Suzuki Cup were not met. But in various discussion boards speculation centered on the stadium’s capacity.
The AFF Suzuki Cup matches reportedly must be played in stadiums that can seat at last 30,000. The Panaad stadium can only accommodate a maximum of 20,000 including standing-room-only areas. The stadium was the venue for the football competitions of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, and it would have been the perfect home pitch for the Azkals given the popularity of football in Negros.
Making matters worse was the AFF’s decision to stage both matches in Jakarta, even though in its official statement last night it mentioned the possibility of the Philippines’ “home” game being held in a neutral venue.
The Azkals return home tonight to an expected heroes’ welcome, after which they plunge into preparation for the biggest match of their lives.
In a statement, the Azkals made an impassioned appeal today to the AFF to have the first semis match on December 16 held in Panaad, Bacolod. The team claimed they were not consulted about the AFF’s decision. They only learned about it shortly after drawing with Myanmar last night.
“As we drew Myanmar in a scoreless affair that saw us finish second to Vietnam in our Group,” the team said in their statement, “we received word that the Asean Football Federation has deemed that our homefield of Panaad, Bacolod [lacking in] the requirements of the AFF Suzuki Cup after consultations with PFF President Jose Mari Martinez. Therefore, our hard-fought ‘home game’ will be played either in a neutral venue or at the homefield of the other semis winner.”
The team likewise pointed out: “We deplore this decision that was arrived at without consulting the national team management team or even having the facilities inspected. We believe that this is an opportunity to provide Filipinos with a chance to watch some world-class football action that will inspire our countrymen to take up the sport and break new ground for the Philippines.”
They went on to say, “Just as you were all on our side when we were playing in Vietnam, we ask that every Filipino and football fan out there to express this indignation with regard to this decision in every venue, fora, or media so that we may treat the country to Azkals football. We implore you to express yourself on Twitter, Facebook, messenger, and everywhere else. After all, the home field game is rightfully ours.”
(The full text of the Azkals statement may be found here.)
Answering the call of the Azkals, football fans have set up several support sites on Facebook with the hope of getting the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to stand up for the Azkals and convince the AFF to hold the first match in Panaad.
But unless by some miracle the AFF suddenly changes its mind, there will be no match in Panaad. The AFF did not specify in its press release which among requirements of the Suzuki Cup were not met. But in various discussion boards speculation centered on the stadium’s capacity.
The AFF Suzuki Cup matches reportedly must be played in stadiums that can seat at last 30,000. The Panaad stadium can only accommodate a maximum of 20,000 including standing-room-only areas. The stadium was the venue for the football competitions of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, and it would have been the perfect home pitch for the Azkals given the popularity of football in Negros.
Making matters worse was the AFF’s decision to stage both matches in Jakarta, even though in its official statement last night it mentioned the possibility of the Philippines’ “home” game being held in a neutral venue.
The Azkals return home tonight to an expected heroes’ welcome, after which they plunge into preparation for the biggest match of their lives.
