Fans go rabid over Azkals in Bacolod City
This story came out in Sun.Star Cebu
THE growing popularity of the Philippine national football team, also known as the Azkals, has brought some unexpected distractions from their avid supporters.
Most of the Azkals arrived in Bacolod last Jan. 26, with midfielders James and Phil Younghusband and team captain Alexander Borromeo joining the team yesterday. Neil Etheridge, Roy Johnnson and Rob Gier will join the team next week.
“Training camp is going well except there are some unexpected distractions from Azkals supporters affecting the practices,” team manager Dan Palami said during an interview last Saturday. Palami was in Cebu to attend the Philippine Football Federation board of governors’ meeting.
With fans going wild over the Azkals and approaching them to get autographs or have their picture taken, they had to get additional security for crowd control.
“Fans are very much enthusiastic in the province, especially since it is the center of football in the country,” Palami said.
The team, however, made necessary adjustments to avoid interference during their tuneup games in preparation for the Feb. 9 Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup qualifiers against Mongolia.
The Azkals practice twice a day for two hours each session. They also hold practices in different fields in Bacolod City, among them the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R) and the La Salle Bacolod fields.
“We prepare the best way we can in terms of conditioning and team play,” Palami said.
Palami also applauded the efforts of the new Azkals coach, Hans Michael Weiss, in preparing the squad for the qualifying game.
Stronger team
“Our chances are good. You are looking at a good squad now. This is a stronger team, stronger than last year,” said Palami, who was also appointed as the team manager for the Under 23 team for the Southeast Asian Games.
Meanwhile, Paolo Pascual, the Cebuano goalkeeper who joined the Azkals training camp in Bacolod, admitted that training sessions in Bacolod City are tougher than in Manila.
“We train double time. Aside from the new kind of training, like increased running interval, we also do longer conditioning activities,” said Pascual.
It has been difficult for the young Azkal to be away from his family and relatives but instead of getting homesick, he sees them as his inspiration for his training every day.
The Azkals will have a practice game with the Bacolod selection team today at UNO-R.
Pascual, who already has his own fans along with other new members of the team, said he never expected to experience such treatment.
“It’s amazing but I still need to be grounded and humble at all times,” Pascual said.
Aside from the offer to play in Manila-based leagues, Pascual is gradually familiarizing himself with the coaching system of Weiss as he is being trained to play for the national team in the Southeast Asian Games at the end of the year.
“It will be good for him (Pascual) to be part of a league because he will get to play eight months in a year,” said Palami, whose team, Global-Smartmatic , asked Pascual to join them in the Manila-based UFL.
After the Bacolod game, the Azkals will train in Baguio before going to Mongolia for the second game of the Challenge Cup qualifiers.
The team will also have its training camp in Cebu this summer in preparation for the first round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
THE growing popularity of the Philippine national football team, also known as the Azkals, has brought some unexpected distractions from their avid supporters.
Most of the Azkals arrived in Bacolod last Jan. 26, with midfielders James and Phil Younghusband and team captain Alexander Borromeo joining the team yesterday. Neil Etheridge, Roy Johnnson and Rob Gier will join the team next week.
“Training camp is going well except there are some unexpected distractions from Azkals supporters affecting the practices,” team manager Dan Palami said during an interview last Saturday. Palami was in Cebu to attend the Philippine Football Federation board of governors’ meeting.
With fans going wild over the Azkals and approaching them to get autographs or have their picture taken, they had to get additional security for crowd control.
“Fans are very much enthusiastic in the province, especially since it is the center of football in the country,” Palami said.
The team, however, made necessary adjustments to avoid interference during their tuneup games in preparation for the Feb. 9 Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup qualifiers against Mongolia.
The Azkals practice twice a day for two hours each session. They also hold practices in different fields in Bacolod City, among them the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R) and the La Salle Bacolod fields.
“We prepare the best way we can in terms of conditioning and team play,” Palami said.
Palami also applauded the efforts of the new Azkals coach, Hans Michael Weiss, in preparing the squad for the qualifying game.
Stronger team
“Our chances are good. You are looking at a good squad now. This is a stronger team, stronger than last year,” said Palami, who was also appointed as the team manager for the Under 23 team for the Southeast Asian Games.
Meanwhile, Paolo Pascual, the Cebuano goalkeeper who joined the Azkals training camp in Bacolod, admitted that training sessions in Bacolod City are tougher than in Manila.
“We train double time. Aside from the new kind of training, like increased running interval, we also do longer conditioning activities,” said Pascual.
It has been difficult for the young Azkal to be away from his family and relatives but instead of getting homesick, he sees them as his inspiration for his training every day.
The Azkals will have a practice game with the Bacolod selection team today at UNO-R.
Pascual, who already has his own fans along with other new members of the team, said he never expected to experience such treatment.
“It’s amazing but I still need to be grounded and humble at all times,” Pascual said.
Aside from the offer to play in Manila-based leagues, Pascual is gradually familiarizing himself with the coaching system of Weiss as he is being trained to play for the national team in the Southeast Asian Games at the end of the year.
“It will be good for him (Pascual) to be part of a league because he will get to play eight months in a year,” said Palami, whose team, Global-Smartmatic , asked Pascual to join them in the Manila-based UFL.
After the Bacolod game, the Azkals will train in Baguio before going to Mongolia for the second game of the Challenge Cup qualifiers.
The team will also have its training camp in Cebu this summer in preparation for the first round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
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