Suspension of 2 Azkals appealed

by Peter Atencio - Manila Standard Today

THE Philippine Football Federation has appealed to the disciplinary committee of the Asian Football Confederation, asking the eight-man panel to lift the suspension imposed on two members of the Azkals.

PFF president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said it will be unfair for the Philippines if it plays its first home-and-away encounter against Kuwait on July 23 at the Mohammad Al Hamad Stadium in Kuwait City without team skipper Aly Borromeo and Fil-German midfielder Stephan Schrock.

“Kuwait did not play the first round. They drew a bye. So, unfair ito sa atin, dalawa sa ating players ay hindi makakalaro ng second round, at sila ay kumpleto,” said Araneta.

The PFF forwarded its letter to the AFC disciplinary committee head Lim Kia Tong of Singapore.

Borromeo and Schrock are to serve one-game suspensions after earning their second yellow cards during the Azkals’ 4-0 victory Sunday in the second leg of their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying home-and-away encounter with the Sri Lanka Brave Reds at the Rizal memorial football grounds.

The Kuwaitis, who are ranked 102nd in the world, are coached by Goran Tufegdži?, a Serbian. Under him, Kuwait played 31 matches over the last two years.

If the suspension pushes through, the Azkals will also miss Fil-Dutch booter Paul Mulders, who returned to Holland Monday due to commitments with his club team, Ado Den Haag.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti national football team, which is preparing to meet the Azkals with a series of friendlies, played Oman to a 1-all draw last Wednesday. It came a few days after it beat Lebanon, 6-0, in a fight-marred encounter last Saturday.

Meanwhile, the participation of the Philippine national team to the 26th Southeast Asian Games remained in doubt following the postponement of the Asean Football Federation’s under-23 championship in Palembang late this month.

The Football Association of Indonesia, in a letter sent to all member nations of the Asean, wrote that Indonesia will not be able to host the meet in Palembang on July 16 to 26. The association added that it had to postpone the meet because the Jaka Baring Stadium is still under renovation and will not be ready in time for the proposed schedule.

Organizers instead proposed that the championship be moved to September or October, 2011, which is after the Ramadhan and before the 2011 SEA Asian Games.

Still, assistant national football team coach Rolando Pinero said the tryouts for members of the squad for the 23-under team will continue. He added that the tryouts resume today at the Alabang Country Club in Muntinlupa, with coach Hans Michael Weiss expected to be in attendance.

“Wala pang balita kung saan kami sasali bago mag-SEA Games. Mag-aadvise pa ang management,” said Pinero.

Fil-American Simon Greatwich, who was transferred from the Philippine Azkals national men’s team to the PH team going to Indonesia, leads the national under-23 squad, along with former national players Yannick Tuason, Mark Ferrer, Chris Camcam, David Basa, Jerry Barbaso and Matthew Hartmann, a returnee.

The teams, which are supposed to compete in the under-23 tournament in Palambang are host Indonesia, Myanmar, Timor Leste, Philippines and Singapore.

The new schedule will be discussed at the next AFF Council Meeting on July 31.

The Philippine Football Federation is also awaiting word on the status of the SEA Games football meet.

FIFA has earlier warned the Indonesian football federation, which is currently embroiled in a leadership dispute, that if it does not hold an election before July 10, the football federation will be automatically suspended the following day.

In response, Agum Gumelar, the chairman of the Normalisation Committee, has set July 9 as the date of the Indonesia FA Congress and election.