Once again there is much fuss over nothing with the Azkals. Hardcore fans of the team are in high spirits as the Azkals have a chance to win the AFC Challenge Cup. The AFC Challenge Cup is a stepping stone for the Asian Cup which boasts of 15 more highly-ranked FIFA teams in Asia. Nations like Japan and South Korea, both of which qualified for the World Cup in Brazil, are competing in the Asian Cup.
Considering that the Azkals are made up mostly of Fil-foreigners, it is rather disappointing that the team could only offer a championship in the Challenge Cup. Homegrown full-blooded Filipinos have virtually been relegated to the sidelines. Yet, success for the team remains minimal.
I have always been critical of the Azkals following my reports on Amanda Coling and Cristy Ramos. While the spin doctors of the team try to make people forget, I, with a few others, will never forget.
Interestingly, I heard that an Azkal suddenly left the team to play for his mother team in Europe. This just shows everyone where the loyalty of these players lie. They would rather play for their mother ball clubs in Europe than play for the Philippines.
Thus, what I'd rather see are Azkals who are mighty loyal to the country. Given a choice between playing for unknown clubs in Europe or serving the Philippine team, I wish to see Azkals choosing to play for the country resolutely. I certainly believe that homegrown full-blooded Filipinos must be given more slots to the team to raise the team's sense of nationalism. Nationalism must rule over convenience and commercialism in a sport such as football.
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