Philippine Football

[ctongco]

I just noticed that the only players that were able to score against us were naturalized players.

[jcbernardo]

I just noticed that the only players that were able to score against us were naturalized players.

i hope Marcus Douthit will not average in double digits so our own RP Team will not recieve the same criticisms.

[ctongco]

i hope Marcus Douthit will not average in double digits so our own RP Team will not recieve the same criticisms.

It's not a criticism to the other teams. More of a compliment to the Azkals.

[spayrow]

http://taramora.com/simon-mcmenemy-and-rahma-azhari-photos-become-new-trending-topics/

These Exclusive photos Rahma Azhari and Simon McMenemy coach of Philippine national team. In this photos we can see Rahma using tight blue dress standing between two men one of them is Simon McMenemy. In the photos the timeline Twitter Rahma Azhari who is retweet him from one of his friends. One is the coach who was so tenderly embracing her body. There is also a second photo. This time McMenemy and Rahma shoulder and embracing another woman. The third photo, only two, Rahma embraced McMenemy. They looks romantic pose. Twitter users in Indonesia are excited with the release of the photo of Rahma Azhari with Coach Philippines. The photos were taken at a nightclub in Jakarta after the players and coach the Philippine national team defeated Indonesia. In addition to photographs Coach Philippines, also circulated photographs of the players the Philippines, among others Younghusband brothers.

[seigle42]

Congratz bros! I cannt believe it..
'its not easy to beat Vietnam NT even for our NT or the others Footballer countries in ASEAN

thanks! me too...

it was like in basketball, your all complete Indon NT beat our complete with PBA pros Philippine NT by 20 points and stunned at Araneta Coliseum.

or

complete Laos NT defeat your Indon NT by 20 points and stunned by your fans at your home court.

[dxjayrock2008]

Azkals to compete in AFC Challenge Cup in 2011

12/22/2010

source: abs-cbnnews.com

A hectic year 2011 awaits the Philippine football team, which is seeing action in several international tournaments next year.

Fresh from their historic achievement in the AFF Suzuki Cup, the Filipino booters, together with newly-recognized Philippine Football Federation (PFF) President Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, graced the PSA Forum on Tuesday at Shakey’s U.N. Avenue, and reflected on their recent campaign.

The Philippines usually finishes at the tail end of regional competitions, but in the just-concluded Suzuki Cup, the Azkals reached the semifinals. They lost the 2 semis games to Indonesia, both 0-1.

“It was a culmination of a very nice run for us,” said team manager Dan Palami. “We never expected us to be there in the semifinals, and the credit has to be given to the players for playing their hearts out. Our campaign was a reflection of the Filipino spirit of never backing down."

Palami, who has bankrolled the squad since late last year, said the team is now looking forward to several international tournaments next year, starting with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup qualifying tournament.

Araneta also announced at the same forum, supported by Outlast Battery, PAGCOR and Shakey’s, that he finally got the recognition of the FIFA early Tuesday morning, certifying his election as president during the PFF Congress last month.

Araneta assured transparency as he serves out the remainder of the term of Jose Mari Martinez, who was ousted during the same PFF Congress. He also vowed to continue supporting the team.

“He [Martinez] has the right to appeal, but as far as we’re concerned, it’s already a closed matter,” said Araneta. “FIFA has accepted our legality and it has accepted our congress.”

“I am glad sponsors are coming in,” he added. “We can assure you of transparency with our governance and that the money will be spent where it’s supposed to be spent.”

Araneta also promised to revive youth competitions as well as the national open tournament to discover new talents.

The Philippine booters salvaged a dramatic draw with Singapore, 1-1, on an injury-time equalizer by Chris Greatwich. the Philippines also scored in the 2-0 victory over Vietnam, which was considered as the upset of the tournament.

The results catapulted the Azkals to stardom. Skipper Aly Borromeo said they never imagined this would happen to them in a country where basketball and boxing are the popular sports.

“We don’t want to make all of this for nothing. The country has a lot of potential to be very good in football,” said Borromeo.

The Azkals will face Mongolia in a home-and-away AFC Challenge Cup qualifying tie in February, with the home game expected to be played at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod.

If they beat Mongolia, the RP booters will move on to the qualifying event in a group which includes Myanmar, Palestine and Bangladesh.

Araneta said they have already expressed their intention of having the two games against Mongolia in the Philippines to avoid playing in near-freezing conditions.

Palami said they will hold open tryouts to get the best available talent for the next tournaments.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a local or a Fil-foreigner,” said Palami. “There will be an equal chance for everyone to compete for slots in the squad.”

[satria_muda]

That's the best news we had since Martinez took over. lol

anyway, I think we already have a professional league, it's called the UFL.

Younghusbands in Indonesia = epic. It'd be a great place for them to showcase their skills. Although I'd love Etheridge to play in Europe or other leagues such as in Japan, South America and etc

send the younghusbands here, we have decent league for them, our league ranked 8th in AFC but IMO Neil Etheridge should stay in England,

'while we transfer Rahma and all of their troublemakers sisters (Indonesia version of Kardashian) to Philippine and burn all of their return tickets..
win-win solution, what u think bro?

Rahma older sister Sarah,

another her older sister, Ayu Azhari married with lead vocal US rock band "White Lion"

[dxjayrock2008]

send the younghusbands here, we have decent league for them, our league ranked 8th in AFC but IMO Neil Etheridge should stay in England,

'while we transfer Rahma and all of their troublemakers sisters (Indonesia version of Kardashian) to Philippine and burn all their return tickets..

Rahma older sister Sarah,

another her older sister, Ayu Azhari married with lead vocal US rock band "White Lion"

This lady makes me drool. Lol.

[kaiziken_pinas]

send the younghusbands here, we have decent league for them, our league ranked 8th in AFC but IMO Neil Etheridge should stay in England,

'while we transfer Rahma and all of their troublemakers sisters (Indonesia version of Kardashian) to Philippine and burn all of their return tickets..
win-win solution, what u think bro?

Rahma older sister Sarah,

another her older sister, Ayu Azhari married with lead vocal US rock band "White Lion"

thanks to you, the girl I'm courting was turned-off when she saw the pic.

lol. It's a win-win situation, as long as she doesn't have any STI's. We're cool ^_^

[satria_muda]

thanks to you, the girl I'm courting was turned-off when she saw the pic.

lol. It's a win-win situation, as long as she doesn't have any STI's. We're cool ^_^

LOL! sorry bro, I dunno how malacious that pic can be..

[kaiziken_pinas]

LOL! sorry bro, I dunno how malacious that pic can be..

it's all right ^_^.
at least I can look up new names in google.

let's see how Mariano ARANETA (btw, he's from Barotac) handles the PFF.

He should focus on promoting the league, a grassroots program and more importantly, the National team (he should look up for more Fil-Fors).

Anyway, commercialization should come first.

[Khalid80]

Guys let's try to keep this thread for Philippines Football.

I would suggest posting about the Azhari sisters in this thread were it would be more appropriate. Cheers

http://forums.interbasket.net/f72/name-some-asian-actresses-you-like-13075/

[dxjayrock2008]

From mb.com.ph.

Brit coach almost didn't accept job

By KARLO SACAMOS
December 22, 2010, 6:32pm

Unknown to many, Simon McMenemy, the British coach who put Philippine football in the Southeast Asian map, had second thoughts about accepting the job.

MANILA, Philippines — Unknown to many, Simon McMenemy, the British coach who put Philippine football in the Southeast Asian map, had second thoughts about accepting the job.
He has been to many places in the world but he doubted whether handling a team that had no success even in the regional competitions will do his coaching career any good.
But having a sharp eye, he saw great opportunity where others would probably only see making a quick buck, or treat it as a way station until a better job offer came along.
“There were a hundred and one things telling me that I shouldn’t do it, but (I thought) when do you get the opportunity to coach a country like this… a sleeping giant that if it was to awake, it can really do some damage,” said the 33-year-old McMenemy, who became the youngest national coach in the world after taking the job. “So the opportunity to be in this situation really prompted me to take the job.”
Chris Greatwich, one of the Fil-foreigners of the squad, was one of Mcmenemy’s players during his stint in England and the former was the one who encouraged the latter to submit his resume to coach the national team.
Five weeks later, he was contacted by the Philippine football management, led by Filipino entrepreneur Dan Palami, and was offered a contract.
He did not disappoint his backers as he steered the team – known as the Azkals – to unprecedented heights by making it to the Final Four of the 2010 Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup.
The Azkals advanced the semifinals of the tournament for the first time by finishing second in their group in a performance highlighted by a stunning 2-0 blanking of defending champion Vietnam.
They also salvaged a 1-1 draw against Singapore where their goal came during the injury time.
McMenemy’s squad, however, failed to reach the finals as they lost to Indonesia twice by the same score of 1-0. Both games were played in Jakarta after the AFF turned down the request of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to hold the game in Bacolod, saying the Panaad Stadium is not suitable for an international tournament.
In defeat, however, the Filipinos were able to achieve many things, one of them is getting the respect of the regional football powers who will now look at local footballers with a different perspective.
Consider that when the Nationals last played the Indons in the same tournament in 2002, they were beaten 13-1.
“I was untested at this level and I needed to prove myself. So I’m hoping over the last four months that I’ve proven what I can do,” said McMenemy, who was an assistant for numerous professional teams in England, Finland and US.
But McMenemy is not about to rest on his laurels.
Though he wants to sustain the momentum of their historic run, McMenemy is not sure whether he will get a fresh contract or not.
“My contract’s only good until the end of December. So we need to have discussions about whether I stay on or not,” said McMenemy. “I’m hoping we can sort something out. I want to be involved full time in this, at least in the next few years. I would really like to help develop football in the Philippines further.”
If his contract gets renewed, McMenemy’s first step in realizing his goal is to help establish a professional league.
“I think passion and spirit can carry you so far, but there are certain limitations that make success in this country very difficult. There is no professional league, which, for one, gets you to ask the question ‘where do your players play regularly.’”

[dxjayrock2008]

From gmanews.tv.

More exposure for Pinoy Azkals in 2011

12/21/2010 | 07:02 PM

Moments after getting his much-awaited recognition from the world’s governing body in football — FIFA (International Football Federation) — Mariano “Nonong" Araneta buckled down to work quickly and laid out his program for next year.

Araneta, who will take over his new role as president of the Philippine Football Federation, plans to have a busier schedule for Philippine football in the coming year.

Araneta will take over the reins of ousted PFF president Mari Martinez, who was booted out by 26 of 30 voting members during the group’s national congress late last month.

The Philippine Azkals are scheduled to play Mongolia in the AFF Challenge Cup on Feb. 9 and 16. One of the scheduled matches is likely to be held at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City. There’s also a big possibility that both matches will be played in Bacolod due to the weather condition in Mongolia at that time. Members of the Philippine Azkals team receive a warm welcome from the Philippine Sportswriters Association at the PSA Forum on Tuesday. GMANews.



A qualifying event in the World Cup in July is also part of the PFF’s calendar, as well as the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia late next year. There's also a possibility of a pre-World Cup qualifying match being planned to be hosted by the Philippines, while a tournament for the Under-19 and Under-16 divisions are also in the works.

The decision to provide the Azkals more exposure next year came on the heels of their impressive showing in the Suzuki Cup where they stunned defending champion Vietnam and made it all the way to the semis.

But the Azkals’ magical run ended when they lost to Indonesia in two hard-fought matches in the semifinal round. In defeat, the Filipinos earned the admiration not only of our countrymen but also the international crowd.

"It was a great experience for us," said Chris Greatwich, who scored two goals in the tournament. “I think we were very tight and tentative against Indonesia and we didn't play to our full potential right until the second half of the second game."

"Ito ang biggest na naabot ko sa national team since nag-start ako. Siguro nag-uumpisa pa lang kami ngayon para sa Philippine football," said co-captain Chieffy Caligdong. "Kaya sana mag-finals kaso hindi binigay pero sana sa next tournament makuha namin."

"It's a very disappointing loss, but as a team, this is a step in the right direction and we're looking forward to the future," said Neil Etheridge, who impressed everyone with his goalkeeping skills.

For Azkals coach Simon McMenemy, the team had a miraculous ride in the Suzuki Cup.

"When you look back at the roads and the steps we've taken to get to where we are, considering the politics, the lack of facilities and infrastructure, the lack of professional players, what we did here was miraculous," said McMenemy, who is likely to stay for another tour of duty in the international circuit.

"It was the culmination of a nice run for us," team manager Dan Palami said. "We didn't expect to reach the semis. However, I think the credit goes to the players, and we gained a lot of respect as far as being recognized as a good team in football in the region." - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV

[dxjayrock2008]

From sayawmanila.com. Mix football with a dose of dance music. Lol.

Azkals won the hearts of Filipinos

There’s no denying that members of the Philippine football team are now celebrities. Supporters flocked to the Azkals’ final practice at the University of Makati on Monday, which was opened to the public and media. The team admitted they are still getting used to the attention, especially from female fans.

Despite all the odds stacked against the Azkals, Striker Phil Younghusband said the RP squad is in high spirits. “We have belief in our ability that we can beat anybody. That’s what helped us beat Vietnam. And I’m sure we will bring that no matter who we will be facing,” said Younghusband.

The Azkals’ stifling defense, which resulted in effective counter attacks, was one of the main reasons the team has had a successful run in the AFF Suzuki Cup. Talented goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, who is a member of English Premier League squad Fulham FC, will try his best to bring glory to the country. “I won’t be playing anything different. Just try to keep a clean sheet,” he said. “Just what like coach said, we will just be out there to do our job.”

PHL’s British coach Simon McMenemy was all praises for the team’s effort. “I couldn’t ask anything more of them. They created chances against the run of play, we pushed men forward, we changed our shape a little but it didn’t work out at the end,” McMenemy said. “It was a very good game against very good opposition with amazing fans, and an amazing experience. The boys are gutted, as they would be after losing a semi-final, but to get to where they’ve got is an achievement,” he added.

Before their practice, the team paid a courtesy call on President Benigno Aquino III in Malacañang. They presented him with an autographed ball and his PNoy football jersey. The president congratulated the team on their triumph in Vietnam, and promised to help advance the sport in the country. “One has to be really amazed of what you have been able to achieve in spite of some problems within those organizations that should be supporting you. I hope that would be resolved soon. We will use our office to have a resolution to that, so that you can concentrate on playing, developing your bodies, developing your minds to that which you have to achieve. Together with the entire nation, we wish you the best of luck,” said Aquino.