Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta told the Manila Standard that Malaysia had invited the Azkals to play one match in Kuala Lumpur on June 1 against the Malaysian national team which won the gold medal in the last Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta and the PFF had accepted the invitation.

Araneta said that the Indonesian national team which lost in the finals of the SEA Games to Malaysia will visit Manila for a match against the Azkals on June 5, to be played at the Rizal Memorial Stadium or in the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.

Since China “hasn’t responded to the PFF invitation to play the Azkals” in a celebration of Philippine Independence Day, Araneta said he had contacted the president of the Football Association of Thailand Dato Worawi Makudi,inviting the Thai national team to play the Azkals on June 12.

Araneta told us he hopes to finalize an agreement with Thailand during the upcoming visit of the football association president to Manila. In case Thailand is unable to make the trip Araneta said he plans to invite a middle-east country for the Independence Day match.

In the latest world rankings by the governing body for football, FIFA, the Philippines coached by Michael Weiss moved up eight places to 148 with Thailand down two slots from its previous ranking to 141 with Indonesia down four places to 151 and Malaysia also down 4 places to 156.

Araneta also indicated that after the current five nations rugby tournament ends on Saturday the Rizal Memorial football field will be closed to prepare it for the June matches.

24 year old Lee Gyeong-hwan, a midfielder for the Daejeon Citizen and

Suwon Samsung Blue Wings from 2009 to 2011 was found  his home after  reportedly jumping off from his apartment building according to a report by the Incheon police who said he died on the way to hospital.

The janitor who reported the death to the police said  “I heard a thud outside and I went to check. There he lay dead”

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A police official said as there was a CCTV recording of Lee getting on an elevator of the building just minutes before his fall, it is “certain” that he took his own life.

Lee and his widowed mother were having financial difficulties since the lifetime ban imposed on Lee who was kicked out of the league over match-fixing allegations. He was also on probation for three years and directed to carry out 300 hours of community service.

A large scale crackdown by the K-League last year resulted in arrests and indictments of dozens of active and former players, several of whom were given lifetime bans from football.

Prosecutors last year charged 46 current and former players and 11 criminal gang members and bookmakers for fixing the results of 15 matches in 2010.

The players were accused of fixing games after accepting bribes from betting syndicates and all of them were banned for life.

Lee’s was the third suicide linked to the scandal that erupted last year. In October 2011 a former coach of the military football cluyb was found dead in another  apparent  suicide after being sentenced to two years in prison and probation for his involvement in match fixing.

In May, 29 year old midfielder Jeong Jong-Kwan who played for a third division side in Korea also committed suicide in a Seoul hotel while being investigated.

America’s most popular sport – American Football – is coming to town in an organized fashion with the formation of the National Gridiron League Pilipinas.

Former national chess master Sammy Estimo informed the Manila Standard that his group has already been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission for  the promotion of American football here. It includes International Chess Grandmaster Eugene Torre and Elmer Ato, a known authority on American football.

Estimo said they have a contract with Ridell.U.S.A for the supply of Gridiron uniforms and gadgets for players while SM Land has also provided the NGLP with a rent-free 33,000 sq. meter area at the Mall of Asia which we can use for training and tournament purposes.

The lawyer-sportsman said the contract with SM Land “permits us to use the area for other activities like football, baseball, cricket, cycling runs and shows, car shows, fun runs, concerts, etc.”

Estimo proudly announced that SM “has promised to help us realize our goals.”

At present the group needs people who could help in these endeavors and is looking for responsible, sports-minded individuals who could join the NGLP board and help with the group’s objectives.

Philippine  Azkals coach Michael Weiss is eager to face China in a Philippine Independence Day match at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on June 12 as part of a possible three-game stint with teams from Indonesia, Vietnam or Thailand on June 5 and 8 which are FIFA playdates.

Weiss welcomed the initiative of Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta and Azkals team manager Dan Palami in arranging the matches. Weiss  said “this is very good” even as he welcomed the plan to play one game, possibly against Vietnam or Thailand, in Bacolod City which is a hotbed of football..

Weiss said the Azkals “will be very strong” since the lineup will include Stephan Schrock, Dennis Cagara, Jerry Lucena. Paul Mulders and Neil Etheridge and possibly Manny Ott reinforcing the bronze medal winners in the recently concluded AFC Challenge Cup where explosive striker Phil Younghusband scored six goals to win the coveted “Golden Boot” award.

Weiss told the Manila Standard that he had coached China’s under 20 squad some eight years ago and “I know all these players and perhaps eight or nine players will be from the under 20 pool.”

The Azkals coach said China “is a very good team, no question” even though they failed to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, finishing third in their group behind Iraq and Jordan although they beat Jordan 3-1 in a no-bearing game.

Meantime, Weiss said that one of the reasons for the Philippine Azkals failing to make it to the Challenge Cup finals aside from the absence of key players Jason Sabio, James Younghusband and Angel Guirado in the semi final game against Turkmenistan which the Philippines lost 2-1 after holding on to a 1-0 lead going into the 80^th minute, was “the lack of physical fitness.”

He said “the only reason why this is there is because I don’t have a team which was promised us from the 9^th of January until the end of the tournament more or less with some adjustments for club commitments which is understandable, but it never happened like that.”

Weiss lamented the fact that from January 9 to the departure for Dubai on February 7 he had the team for “not more than six to eight days.”

The German coach said that during the Dubai training camp “we were able to work a little bit on physical fitness but I was readying them for match fitness there. I gave them three hard matches and they performed very well, they had to play defensively strong and we pushed through it. We got a little physical fitness there, but not too much.”

He noted that when they returned from Dubai “some players like Angel Guirado and his brother and Carli de Murga had to immediately play a league match and they had no holiday whatsoever.”

Weiss said despite the lack of preparation they achieved a minor miracle in Nepal under difficult circumstances even as he stressed that “if we had the preparation like I had last year, we would have played in the finals (in Nepal) and played in top fashion.”

The Philippine Azkals responded to the challenge of coach Michael Weiss to play for “Pride and Glory” in their third place match against “The Knights” of Palestine and came through with a win to give the country its best finish ever in the AFC Challenge Cup at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal yesterday

Two goals by prolific striker Phil Younghusband including a penalty in the 22^nd minute and a 41^st minute goal by Angel Guirado who took control of an exquisite through ball to slot it home past the Palestine goalkeeper gave the Philippine Azkals a 3-1 lead at halftime after Palestine equaled in the 20^th minute following some excellent , short, snappy passing moves that exposed the tentative  Philippine defense as Abdulhamid Abuhabib curled one past keeper Eduar Sacapano who was playing in place of Neil Etheridge who was sidelined because of a straight red card in the semi final against Turkmenistan.

The Azkals made their intentions known shortly after the kickoff before a good crowd when Ray Jonnson fired one past the left upright with only 1:40 gone on the clock.

Phil Younghusband’s first  goal and his 23^rd since wearing an Azkals jersey was a classic as a deft pass from Guirado to team captain Chieffy Calidong saw Phil take on three Palestinian defenders with some of his magic before scoring with his left foot.

In the 15^th minute Paul Mulders who occasionally sliced through the defense of the Palestinians forced goalie Ramsey Saleh who had a tryout with the English second division side Sheffield Wednesday to make a sensational save.

The young Palestinian side kept attacking in waves as the Philippine defense fell back giving them plenty of room to work in and a sizzling attempt hit the crossbar in the 19^th minute after back-to-back attempts on goal by the Palestinians.

The Palestinians efforts were finally rewarded just over one minute later when No. 19 Abdul Hamid Al Habib beat Eduard Sacapano all ends up to tie the count at 1-1.  

Chieffy Calidong was brought down in the box in the 22^nd minute and Phil Younghusband  blasted  the penalty into the net to restore the Philippines one goal edge at 2-1 and enhance his own chances for the “Golden Boot” of the tournament with the most number of goals scored.

Angel Guirado, who proved to be a workhorse galloped past a couple of defenders after taking control of a through ball to rip one in past the Palestinian goalkeeper to give the Azkals some breathing space at 3-1.

But the Palestinians who played attractive attacking football were once again gifted by poor marking by the Azkals defense and Abdulhabib with a good finish stepped up the excruciating pressure on the Azkals with a 3-2 scoreline.

Juan Guirado made a tremendous run from midfield and with a left footed shot gave the Philippines another breather at 4-2 in scoring his first goal since donning an Azkals jersey in international competition.

The Palestinians stepped up the pressure driving forward relentlessly and were once again rewarded in the 77^th minute when Fahed Attal beat Sacapano who dived to his left but couldn’t get his hands on the ball which sailed high into the corner of the net to send the hearts of Philippine fans pounding anxiously with the score at 4-3.

A Palestine corner four minutes later saw Sacapano make the most crucial save possibly of his career when he denied Abdel Hamid and with three minutes added time the Azkals g oal was besieged but some desperate defending held on and when the final whistle blew the Philippines had achieved its most noteworthy performance in decades in an enthralling game of football between the two beaten semi finalists.

The Philippine Azkals scored a  magnificent 2-1 victory over a strong Tajikistan side to enter the semi finals of the AFC “Challenge Cup” and prove that a ten-day sojourn together and a pre-tournament training program in the middle-east made all the difference at the Halchowk Stadium, Tuesday.

Right after Tajikistan kicked off skipper Chieffy Calidong shot wide of the upright before Ray Jonsson crafted the first real chance when he his near-perfect cross from the left was narrowly missed by Phil Younghusband who went for a header with Tajik goalkeeper  Alisher Tuychief who had a busy evening making a good save.

Some three  minutes later Azkals keeper Neil Etheridge had to sprint out of his position to clear the imminent danger posed by Dzhakongir Dzhalilov who was beaten to a deadly long ball by the Fulham substitute keeper.

In the 10^th minute the Younghusband brothers as James set up Phil with a neatly placed pass but Phil angled his powerful shot and Tuychiev made a good save.

Again in the 32^nd minute Phil latched on to  a long ball which the Azkals used quite often but

an awkward bounce saw the chance go begging.

Down 1-0 at halftime after a hugely controversial goal in the dying seconds of added time in the first half when the referee disallowed a goal with the ball appearing to be cleared off the line but  the linesman who was consulted by the referee ruled it was a goal to the dismay of the Philippine team.

The goal was credited to defender Alexey Negmatov who had rushed around the referee when he was consulting with the linesman and obviously put some pressure on both men.

Rather than breakdown mentally, the Azkals stormed forward time and time again to demonstrate their attacking potential to score two priceless goals in a torrid second half where despite some great possession football by the Tajikistan midfielders their forwards failed to add to their tally even as the Philippine defense held and goalkeeper Neil Etheridge once again proved his worth between the posts.

The Philippine Azkals showed their attacking  intentions in the very first minute of the second half when skipper Chieffy Calidong shot wide of the upright.

The Azkals goal-scoring phenomenon Phil Younghusband who had a few appearances for Chelsea in the English Premier League when the colorful Jose Mourinho was manager and paid tribute to Phil’s work ethic, once again rose to the occasion in the 54^th minute following some remarkable work by Angel Guirado who played the game of his life before being substituted in the 90^th minute by Bahadoran.

Guirado robbed Davronjon Ergashev on the left flank with some resolute play and then fired a shot right across the face of goal leaving keeper Tuychief stranded and giving Phil Younghusband a chance to slot the ball into the back of the net. It was Phil’s third goal of the tournament after he scored a brace in the 2-nil win over India on Sunday. In the 60^th minute

Tajikistan had a chance to grab the lead but Dzhalilov made a hash of his attempt when he had only Etheridge to beat from close range.

Marvin Angeles came in for Calidong in the 65^th minute after the Philippine skipper was brought down in a nasty tackle by a Tajik player who received a yellow card.

The yellow cards came out in a hurry as the match began to deteriorate into a physical battle but the Azkals stood their ground and refused to wilt, instead launching wave after wave of attack with the midfield and defense playing with greater intensity and purpose.

Phil Younghusband hit the upright in another tantalizing Azkals foray deep into the Tajikistan half  in the 67^th minute while Guirado who used his height and strength to muscle his way pass his defenders while exhibiting his dribbling skills missed with a header in the 77^th minute.

However,  the Fil-Spanish star made amends for his miss with a classic header beyond the reach of the Tajikistan goalkeeper off a superb pass from James Younghusband who was his usual tower of strength on both ends of the pitch, throughout.

Rather than sit back and defend German coach Michael Weiss continued to urge his players to keep possession and go forward when the opportunity presented itself which is exactly what they did in the face of the growing desperation of the Tajikistan squad which won the Challenge Cup in 2006.

The Azkals kept pushing forward and put incredible pressure on the Tajik defenders to earn corners in the 81^st and 85^th minute as Philip Younghusband ballooned one over the crossbar when he had a good chance to increase the Philippine tally and Paul Mulders who sliced through the defense shot wide of the upright when a pass to the middle.

There were jubilant scenes in the stands among the small but faithful crowd of Filipino supporters and among the players themselves who achieved a first by qualifying for the semi finals of the “Challenge Cup” where they will meet another formidable team in Turkmenistan on March 16 with the winners moving into the finals almost certainly against the defending champions North Korea.

The victory was what the AFC Challenge Cup website referred to as “a fairytale run”  The two sides last met in May 2008 in the qualifying tournament for the second edition of the AFC Challenge Cup with the Philippines, playing before a hometown crowd, holding the eventual finalists to a goal-less draw.

The AFC Challenge Cup matches are telecast “Live” from Kathmandu by ABS-CBN Studio 23 with noted commentator Bob Guerrero and injured Azkals skipper Ali Borromeo handling the coverage with a great deal of aplomb and some interesting insights.

A confident Philippine Azkals coach Michael Weiss believes that even with the suspensions meted out to key players Angel Guirado and James Younghusband and the injury of  Jason Sabio the team spirit is high as the Azkals hope their historic run will continue and they will beat Turkmenistan to earn a berth in the AFC “Challenge Cup” finals for the very first time.

ABS-CBN Studio 23 will telecast what promises to be a gripping match “live” at 4:00 p.m. with commentators Bob Guerrero and injured Azkals team captain Ali Borromeo.

In an overseas telephone conversation with the Manila Standard, Weiss said “we don’t need to show too much respect because Turkmenistan was in a much easier group where they played two weak teams in Maldives and Nepal and easily passed them.”

The Philippines after a solid game against defending champions North Korea who had seven world cup players lost 0-2 but came back to defeat 2008 champions India 2-0 and 2006 champions Tajikistan 2-1 with a classic late header by Angel Guirado following an equalizer from prolific goal-scorer Phil Younghusband who raised his total tally of goals for the Azkals in international matches to 21.

In the latest FIFA world rankings the Philippines which is bound to move up after its continuing improvement is likely to move up from its current No. 156 ranking which is ten rungs higher that Turkmenistan at 166.

Weiss described Turkmenistan as having “ a young side, a youthful side but still lacking in experience. We will give them what we gave Tajikistan by playing disciplined football which they don’t like. They want to play football and we will destroy their football a little bit and hopefully be the winners here.”

The German coach who has steered the Azkals to their finest finish in the Challenge Cup said he “expects clear improvement from (Chieffy) Calidong and (Paul) Mulders. They had to go through the tournament and adapt to the situation because both of them have not played for a long time. Chieffy especially that tomorrow (Friday” we will shine again.”

After a training session at 3:30 p.m. Nepal time, Weiss will decide on his line-up even as he emphasized that “the players who will come in now as replacements have worked like hell and they want to prove themselves.”

However, Weiss did not wish to reveal his possible choice of players to replace Guirado, James Younghusband and Sabio because he wanted to maintain the eagerness and competitive spirit of the aspirants until not too long before game-time.

BARRIOS, BAUMANN

TO MEET IN GENEVA

Renauld ‘Sonny’ Barrios, executive director of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilpinas, left Thursday night for Geneva, Switzerland on the invitation of International Basketball Federation (FIBA) secretary-general Patrick Baumann to a meeting of the Competitions Commission on next-phase discussions of the new system that will govern world basketball tournaments.

“Your personal presence would be very much welcome as we would also like to meet separately with you and discuss some of the items around the competition system in a more detailed and personal way,” Baumann said in the invitation.

Barrios, former commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association, and SBP consultant Mauricio ‘Moying’ Martelino, a long-term secretary-general of the Asian Basketball Confederation, the name FIBA-Asia was known before, were in Geneva a few months ago to attend a policy formulation meeting and had a chance to trade ideas with the Swiss-based Baumann and other high-ranking FIBA officials.

”Apparently, FIBA Geneva is impressed with SBP under the leadership of Mr. Manny V. Pangilinan to the extent of inviting us to this important conference,” said Barrios.

A window to discuss the Philippines’ bid to host the Asian qualifier for the 2014 World Championship, to be known as FIBA World Cup, could open during the meeting with Baumann, said Barrios.

“Once I get the green light from my superiors and the opportunity presents itself, then I definitely will bring it up,” said Barrios, who has formally offered to provide FIBA a powerpoint presentation of “our country’s willingness and SBP’s readiness to host the event.”

Meanwhile, FIBA has announced during a recent launching in Madrid that the World Championships, held alternately with the Olympic Games every four years since 1950, will henceforth be known as the FIBA World Cup.

“The new name is short and catchy, and the term World Cup is known by people all over the globe and resonates in different languages,” said Baumann in front of more than 400 guests who also witnessed the unveiling of the tournament logo.

“This new name reflects the prestige that our tournament has as a premier international competition and allows for it to be recognized as what it truly is: one of the biggest global sporting events, along with the FIFA World Cup, the Rugby World Cup and the Cricket World Cup,” Baumann said.

– end –

Turkmenistan Player of the Year Arslanmyrat Amanov  equalised in the 80^thminute before Chonkayev settled the contest with four minutes left to play.

Another magniificent goal by Phil Younghusband who latched on two a fabulous cross by Paul Mulders off an excellent pass by Carli de Murga gave the Azkals a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute and sent spirits of the Filipino fans soaring.

It was Phil’s 22nd goal in international  matches for the Philippines and clearly established his credentials as a top class striker this time underscoring his ability with a classic header..

Although the youthful Turkmenistan side launched wave after wave of attack seeking an equalizer the Azkals defense held firm with Neil Etheridge as usual proving to be a tower of strength between the posts.

Some seven minutes later off a swift counter-attack Younghusband volleyed one straight at the Turkmenistan goalkeeper who  made a great save.

Jason de Jong who occassionally broke right through the Turkmenistan defense took a crackerr from some 30 yards out but again the Turkmenistan goalie couldn’t be beaten.

The Azkals defense  under increasing pressure dropped down even as the midfielders began to fade and flounder and it came as no real surprise when Turkmenistan scored in the 80th minute to level the count  at 1-1.

Despite some probing runs and bursts of counter-attacks the Azkals were gradually broken down both physically and perhaps even psychologically and another terrible defensive lapse  enabled the Turkmenistan side to go ahead 2-1 in the 85th minute.

The fruatration of the Azkals clearly showed when Neil Etheridge lost his composure for a split second and kicked a Turkmenistan player in the back of his foot and after being given a yellow card the referee consulted the linesman who said it should be a straight red which the referee proceeded to show Neil.

Disgusted with himself perhaps and pained by the loss Etheridge ripped his jersey off and walked straight to the dugout while substitute de Murga was tested twice by an aggressive Turkmenistan forward  line but rose to the occasions with two good saves.

Despite the loss the Philippine Azkals performed better than ever before and obviously missed the services of Angel Guirado and James Younghusban who were forced to sit out with successive yelow cards and the injury to Jason Sabio.

Philippine Azkals coach Michael Weiss is obviously disappointed that while the team had a 1-0 lead going into the 80^th minute of the crucial semi final game against Turkmenistan in the AFC Challenge Cup on Friday, they let it slip away by missing scoring opportunities and giving away two goals on defensive lapses.

In a conversation with the Manila Standard after the painful loss, Weiss calmly said “We know what level we are, and where we are at right now” but tyhe performance throughout the tournament showed what we are capable of.

Clearly the absence of  the talented and hardworking Angel Guirado and James Younghusband who were forced to sit out  the match because of successive yellow cards and the injury to Jason Sabio whose long throw ins are a constant source of trouble for the Azkals opponents hurt the team which forced Weiss to make adjustments.

They held fairly firm for almost 80 minutes before being systematically broken down by the youthful Turkmenistan squad which in the end, deserved to win.

Weiss is already looking ahead at the battle for third against Palestine realizing that if the Azkals made finals we could have conceded three or four goals to a classy North Korean side with seven players from their World Cup squad to whom  the Philippines lost 0-2 in their opening match.

Weiss’s dilemma now centres on who to put in goal in place of Neil Etheridge who earned a straight red card for an unforgivable act of kicking a Turkmenistan player on the back of his foot late in the game.

Carli de Murga made two sound saves but whether Weiss would want to sacrifice the quality he brings to the game both in defense and in attack remains to be seen  considering he was No. 2 goalie Sacapano at his disposal.

Weiss wants a victory over Palestine to cap an amazing effort by the Azkals and with James Younghusband, Angel Guirado and Jason Sabio back in the line-up he fancies his chances.