MANILA – The Philippine Azkals were on wait and see mode as China begged off from hosting the remainder of the joint qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.
According to Azkals team manager Dan Palami, the national men’s football team remained in Doha, Qatar, and waiting for AFC’s communication.
“Our priority remains the health and safety of every individual in the team,” said Palami. “We urge the fans to remain patient as we wait for a fair and reasonable decision on the venue and schedule of our matches.”
The Azkals were bound to China on Monday evening for their scheduled competitions in Suzhou but were notified not to push through after China pulled out from the hosting stint.
For Palami, China’s pullout could be a blessing in disguise for the Azkals as four team members could be barred from entering China.
He added that two Azkals officials were positive of IgM antibodies due to their recent coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination, while two others tested positive for the virus last year.
“We would have been severely shorthanded in China if the games pushed through there,” shared Palami.
The games in the joint qualifiers were postponed in March 2020 due to the health pandemic. It was again canceled in October last year due to the same reason.
The Azkals, which is at third place in Group A with seven points on two wins, two losses, and a draw, have three matches scheduled in the final window against Guam, China, and the Maldives.
The group winner and possibly the runner-up will advance to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers while gaining direct berths to the 2023 Asian Cup. The third placer will move to the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers./PN
