Azkals set to compete for various clubs in Smart tilt

By FRANCIS SANTIAGO - Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines — Fans get another chance to see some members of the Philippine football team play, but this time not as a team.

The Azkals will suit up for different teams when the Philippine Football Federation-SMART Club Championships resume on Aug. 9.

Striker Phil Younghusband, and older brother James will banner Rizal while midfielder Chieffy Caligdong and Ian Araneta and Fil-Palestinian Misagh Bahadoran will lead NCR-2 in the tournament aimed at strengthening the clubs formation in the country.

Two groups of four teams, which survived the cluster round last May, will begin their hunt for semifinal berths as they try to eliminate each other in the single round robin group stage set to be played simultaneously in two venues.

Group A hostilities between Iligan, Leyte (Laos FC), NCR-2 (Teknika FC) and Rizal (Smart-San Beda FC) will be held at the Don Gregorio Football Field in Cagayan de Oro City while Group B action featuring teams from Baguio-Benguet (Baguio FC), Davao (Columbia FC), Iloilo (Stallions FC) and NCR-1 (Pachanga FC) will be played at the Central Philippines University and/or Barotac Nuevo football field in Iloilo

“We can’t make any prediction which is the top teams but we expect an exciting and almost even matches because all teams have good players that include national team members,” Cyril Dofitas, head of PFF’s competitions department, said during Tuesday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Ave. “In my rounds in Cagayan and other parts in Mindanao, I can see there’s so much awareness among the fans and we expect warm reception just like in Barotac.”

Speaking in the same forum, SMART Sports Manager Epok Quimpo assured that the Manny V. Pangilinan-owned telecommunications company will continue to support the PFF and its programs despite the elimination of the Azkals in the World Cup qualifiers last week.

The competition is part of a long-term partnership between the PFF and SMART, which pledged to donate P80 million to the PFF in the next 10 years.

“We may have lost to a strong team in Kuwait but it’s not the end but only the beginning. Football will stay and flourish and SMART is here to stay,” Quimpo said.