When one talks about the Philippine Azkals, we’re talking of national interest. This is our national team representing our country in major international tournaments.
The team which was in charge of raising the level of football in the country is playing with a chip on its shoulder now following the untimely pull out of corporate sponsor Pru Life. It came at a bad timing as the Azkals are in the midst of their campaign in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifier on Tuesday where they will face Yemen. Last month, the Filipino booters were held to a 2-2 draw in Bacolod and the Azkals will need to play away from home this time, hoping to salvage a spot in the AFC.
But after Pru Life UK left the Azkals hanging, the team is determined to prove to all and sundry that it could get the job done.
Pru Life UK, which has backed the Azkals for the past three years, has decided to turned its back on our national team due to internal conflict within the insurance management group.
But this is not the best time to fret, especially with the stakes getting higher.
A win on Tuesday will give the Azkals additional 10 points, at least four points clear of Tajikistan if the Central Asian powerhouse will win against Nepal. This also means the Philippine football squad will have a commanding position heading to its next two matches where the squad will face Nepal in November and a home match against Tajikistan in March next year.
In the middle of the crisis the Azkals are facing, it is also a good way to call for support to our homegrown corporate sponsors.
There was a time when the Azkals were considered the next most popular sport in the country, next to basketball. The program has produced some of the best players in the age of new media among them include the Younghusbands — Phil and James — Chieffy Caligdong, Neil Etjheridge, Simone Rota, Simon Greatwich and Aly Borromeo among others.
But the Azkals are going to need support, most notably from the private sectors.
Maybe it’s time for these companies to step up.
Phoenix, headed by Dennis Uy, who is currently presidential adviser in sports, is one of the few logical choices. Its rival company, Petron, which is being bankrolled by giant conglomerate San Miguel Corp., is another one.
Manuel V. Pangilinan, a staunch backer of sports in the country, has been an active supporter through the years. He has supported basketball teams PBA like Talk ’N Text, Meralco and NLEX, his three teams in the PBA. His Cignal Hawkeyes have also been the perennial champions the past few conferences in the PBA D-League while two collegiate teams, San Beda and Ateneo, which he helps bankrolls, have been consistent performers in the NCAA and UAAP, respectively. He should be interested bankrolling our national football team.
Of course, MVP has also been the chief supporter of Gilas Pilipinas for the past eight years with SMART Communications at the forefront before Chooks To Go came in to the scene and inherited it from the businessman/sportsman.
Alaska has been running a similar football program for the grassroots level outside of the basketball team that has won 14 championships in the PBA — the Aces.
Cobra has been an active backer of sports as well, most notably the dragon boat team it saved when the POC-recognized national sports association failed to recognize the efforts of the squad. Perhaps it’s also a good time the company should save a team that has carried the country with much pride and honor.
This is the best time to show our support to the Azkals. We’ve seen them rising to the challenge when they qualified to the AFF Suzuki Cup then a year later, the AFC Challenge Cup. Who knows where this squad could carry us as it vie for a spot for the 2019 AFC?
Let us show our love to the Azkals, our Philippine football team.
Rey Joble has been a sportswriter covering the PBA games for more than a decade. He is a member of the PBA Press Corps and Philippine Sportswriters Association, the oldest journalism group in the country.
