MANILA – After achieving a huge milestone by qualifying to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the Philippine Azkals seeks more fan support ahead of their competition in the United Arab Emirates.
Azkals veteran Phil Younghusband said he hopes their recent feat will reignite the Filipinos’ love for football, just like when they made it to the semifinals of the ASEAN Suzuki Cup in 2010.
“Hopefully it’s a catalyst for more growth in Philippine football,” said Younghusband. “In 2010, we got a lot of private support. Hopefully this moment can spur another resurgence of Philippine football and get people to talk about Philippine football again.”
Azkals had an up-and-down performance the last eight years. It made it to the semifinals of the Suzuki Cup twice but slowly lost fan support after failing to move past the semifinals in 2016.
“Maybe the lack of success and wins in the tournament made people not talk about Philippine football but I think the team needs to be successful. That happens all over the world. To bring people in,” Younghusband said.
“It’s been up and down, but this (AFC Asian Cup qualification) outweighs all,” he added. “It’s been an amazing experience for us, the last eight years, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
Mentored by Thomas Dooley, Azkals reached the AFC Asian Cup for the first time after its come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Tajikistan at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium last Tuesday.
“I’m overwhelmed,” said Azkals goalkeeper Neil Etheridge. “It’s been tough for the team. We’ve all made mistakes, both on and off the field – management, ourselves as players. [But] we’ve learned from [them], we got stronger.”/PN
