Source: Daily Inquirer
ULAN BATOR---Nestorio “Boogie” Margarse has been with the national team long enough to experience the difficulty of traveling abroad for international matches.
But none of those experiences could have prepared him for the nine-hour travel the national booters popularly known as the Azkals went through as they motored from their training camp base in Gotemba City, Japan to Narita Airport, a day after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of the country.
For Margarse, an unused substitute in the 1-2 defeat to Mongolia in the second leg of the AFC Challenge Cup prequalifying here, the experience in Japan turned out to be the more strenuous task than playing here in the Mongolian capital.
The Azkals saw first hand the trail of devastation in Japan and the images still lingers for Margarse.
“We were like porters,” said the 34-year-old Margarse, recalling the experience where the Azkals shuffled through four trains carrying around boxes of equipment through the subway of Tokyo.
“But we know it was just a small problem compared to what had happened to Japan as a country. We will never forget the experience. It also strengthened the bond in the team,” added Margarse, a member of the Philippine Army, who was part of the national team from 1997 to 2000 before returning to the squad two years ago.
Azkals German coach Hans Michael Weiss dedicated the match against Mongolia to the victims of the earthquake.
But unknown to many, though, the Azkals were lucky enough to escape the wrath of the natural disaster that destroyed establishments and claimed thousands of lives.
Had the Azkals booked with the Japan Football Association for a training camp, they would have ended up at the J-Village in Fukushima or another facility in Sendai. Both were two of the hardest-hit cities by the earthquake
But several Japanese teams have booked the facilities ahead of the Azkals, prompting the JFA to move them to Gotemba City in the southern part of Japan.
More than the experience in Japan, one more player – Ray Jonsson – had one more remarkable tale before making it to this cold Mongolian capital.
Jonsson was barred from leaving for Mongolia twice from Beijing because he didn’t have a Philippine passport with him. Jonsson stayed at the airport in Beijing for 30 hours, before he finally left for Incheon South Korea where he managed to get a flight to Ulan Bator.
“I wanted to go back to Iceland,” said Jonsson, who left Iceland Saturday. “But I also wanted to play for the country.”
As fate would have it, Jonsson arrived in Ulan Bator midnight last Tuesday and played a key role in limiting the Mongolians from scoring more goals.
His supposed flight from Beijing – the one where he was barred from taking - to Ulan Bator was cancelled.
“I think right now, we just have to count our blessings that the team made it to Ulan Bator and we were able to play the game,” said Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta.
“I think it was really destiny for this team to advance to the next round,” said team manager Dan Palami.
But none of those experiences could have prepared him for the nine-hour travel the national booters popularly known as the Azkals went through as they motored from their training camp base in Gotemba City, Japan to Narita Airport, a day after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of the country.
For Margarse, an unused substitute in the 1-2 defeat to Mongolia in the second leg of the AFC Challenge Cup prequalifying here, the experience in Japan turned out to be the more strenuous task than playing here in the Mongolian capital.
The Azkals saw first hand the trail of devastation in Japan and the images still lingers for Margarse.
“We were like porters,” said the 34-year-old Margarse, recalling the experience where the Azkals shuffled through four trains carrying around boxes of equipment through the subway of Tokyo.
“But we know it was just a small problem compared to what had happened to Japan as a country. We will never forget the experience. It also strengthened the bond in the team,” added Margarse, a member of the Philippine Army, who was part of the national team from 1997 to 2000 before returning to the squad two years ago.
Azkals German coach Hans Michael Weiss dedicated the match against Mongolia to the victims of the earthquake.
But unknown to many, though, the Azkals were lucky enough to escape the wrath of the natural disaster that destroyed establishments and claimed thousands of lives.
Had the Azkals booked with the Japan Football Association for a training camp, they would have ended up at the J-Village in Fukushima or another facility in Sendai. Both were two of the hardest-hit cities by the earthquake
But several Japanese teams have booked the facilities ahead of the Azkals, prompting the JFA to move them to Gotemba City in the southern part of Japan.
More than the experience in Japan, one more player – Ray Jonsson – had one more remarkable tale before making it to this cold Mongolian capital.
Jonsson was barred from leaving for Mongolia twice from Beijing because he didn’t have a Philippine passport with him. Jonsson stayed at the airport in Beijing for 30 hours, before he finally left for Incheon South Korea where he managed to get a flight to Ulan Bator.
“I wanted to go back to Iceland,” said Jonsson, who left Iceland Saturday. “But I also wanted to play for the country.”
As fate would have it, Jonsson arrived in Ulan Bator midnight last Tuesday and played a key role in limiting the Mongolians from scoring more goals.
His supposed flight from Beijing – the one where he was barred from taking - to Ulan Bator was cancelled.
“I think right now, we just have to count our blessings that the team made it to Ulan Bator and we were able to play the game,” said Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta.
“I think it was really destiny for this team to advance to the next round,” said team manager Dan Palami.
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.
