The insanity must stop. The insistence of PFF to send the U23 Azkals to the SEA Games must stop.
I am simply at a loss for words as to why PFF, a few media people and fans are asking POC and PSC to allow the U23 Azkals to go to the biennial meet in Phnom Penh. The showing of the U23 Azkals in the last SEA Games leaves no doubt that the team does not deserve to represent. The team lost in four out of the five games in Indonesia to finish dead last. Being a dead last finisher certainly does not merit an iota of consideration for a possible next stint in the tournament. Representing the country is a right reserved to those who can render a respectable showing in any international tournament. A team that has lost to a team ranked 205th in the world does not have any business representing the country as far as I am concerned.
The standard set by POC and PSC is appropriate. By allowing only gold medal hopefuls to go to the Games, the two institutions ensure that only deserving teams and athletes are given the right to represent the country. It very well serves as a reminder to teams and athletes to perform well in international tournaments. Representing the country has a big responsibility attached to it.
Fans of the U23 Azkals are banking on luck as they hope that their idols post upsets in the tournament. While there is a chance, we must realize that the chance is very slim indeed.
The gross misconduct of some of the U23 Azkals that were sent in the last SEA Games only reinforces the fact that they don't deserve to go. No less than the team captain of the team showed utter disrespect to the coach and team as he abandoned his very own team in the middle of the tournament. The behavior of the team captain merited a lifetime ban.
Lastly, reports received by no less than Ronnie Nathanielz indicate that some of the U23 Azkals have no sense of what behavior is expected from national athletes who are in the middle of a tournament. See thread.
The right to represent the country abroad is not an entitlement. It is rightfully earned. And based on the last performance of the U23 Azkals, they certainly have not earned it. Perhaps, the U23 Azkals need to prove themselves in friendlies and other tournaments to make believers out of unbelievers. Until then, stay out of the SEA Games please.
How in the hell can they prove their worth if you don't send them to the games? The team they sent last time was formed just a few weeks before the game. That's not how a football team is formed. They need time to prepare. They need chemistry on the field. You don't know shit about football. You don't know what you're yapping about.
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