MANILA – Less than two months since being appointed, former England national team captain Terry Butcher has tendered his resignation as head coach of the Philippine men’s football team.
In a statement yesterday, the 59-year-old former England defender backed out from his two-year commitment with the Azkals as he does not believe the system is in place for his time in charge of the Philippines to be successful.
“I’m sorry to announce that I will not be proceeding in the role as head coach of the (Azkals),” Butcher said. “Across recent months I’ve been intensely engaged with many people to thoroughly understand and prepare for this exciting challenge.”
“I remain convinced that the Philippines has great potential and I’m impressed with the high-caliber people that I’ve had the pleasure to meet,” he added. “Regretfully, I’ve not been able to make this work in the way that I intended.”
“The vital issue was to carefully build a robust plan to meet the football ambitions of the national team and do the country proud,” he said. “I wish all good things for the Azkals. One day, I look forward to seeing a Philippines team in the World Cup.”
The England football icon has been named as head coach on June 14 by Azkals team manager Dan Palami, replacing Thomas Dooley who steered the Azkals to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
The Philippine Football Federation (PFF), meanwhile, was caught by surprise with Butcher’s resignation and has tapped senior football adviser Scott Cooper as interim coach.
Cooper will be the one presiding for Azkals’ preparations, friendly matches and their upcoming stints in 2018 Suzuki Cup later this year and 2019 AFC Asian Cup early next month./PN
