Source : Inquirer.net
Keeping the Azkals on their feet won’t come cheap.
To fund the rest of its campaign for 2011, the Philippine national football team will need P31 million, which will also cover expenses for the Under-23 squad’s participation in the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia.
Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said the amount will also take care of two training camps overseas as well as the campaigns in the AFC Challenge Cup and the World Cup qualifying.
Araneta admitted that the PFF alone does not have the resources to fund the team, and said they are banking on the help of sponsors and international federations.
“If we can get more sponsors and other federations can help us with training camps, we can bring the costs down,” Araneta said.
The PFF is finalizing a deal with the German Football Association to help pay for the services of coach Hans Michael Weiss and is seeking help from the football associations of Japan, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.
The Azkals received $150,000 (P6.4 million) as part of their share in the gate receipts during their AFF Suzuki Cup semifinal matches against Indonesia late last year.
The Azkals have played only one game so far this year, beating Mongolia, 2-0, in the first leg of their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying match in Bacolod City.
They will need P4 million for the second leg in Ulan Bator, with the AFC mandated to give just $20,000 (P860,000) for the trip.
Araneta has already sent a request to the Japan Football Association to allow the Azkals to use the JFA facility in Fokushima from March 6 to 12 to help them acclimatize to the sub-zero conditions in Mongolia.
Azkals need P31M for 2011 schedule
7:38 PM
Anonymous
An askal is a Filipino term for any dog with no pedigree, no breed, no class. The askal is usually astray, unsupported and survives by feeding on whatever provision it can find. The Filipino national football team can relate to this mongrel, they have almost no support from a government thats suppose to support them, they are underdogs not just only to the world but even in their own region, South East Asia.
Name: Angel Guirado Aldeguer
Stephan Schröck - nicknamed "Schröcky", is a German–Filipino professional footballer who plays as a right back for 2nd Bundesliga club SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
