Balls Channel launches Gameday Weekend

GAME DAY spills over to the weekend as the Balls Channel brings Gameday Weekend, a spin-off of its popular daily sports news program.
 

Hosted by Gretchen Ho and Mia Cabalfin, and featuring some members of the Philippine Azkals, the show is a 30-minute program which will air every Saturday and Sunday at 5:30 p.m. on the cable sports channel beginning on June 29. It will have replays on Studio 23 later in the night at 9:30 p.m.

Gameday Weekend is a byproduct of the daily show Gameday with Boom Gonzales which airs every morning from Monday to Friday at 8:30 a.m. But while Gonzales’ show mostly delivers sports news straight up, Gameday Weekend puts a new spin on it as it is a lifestyle-oriented sports show that is built for the weekend warriors.

The show has a wide range of features, which includes spotlight on prominent athletes’ achievements, interviews with fitness experts and news on the latest sports gears, among others.

The Sunday airing will showcase a segment called "The Showdown" where the female hosts are pitted against members of the Azkals in various sports.

"It was a natural progression from the weekday program of doing sports news and recaps into getting something else," said Gonzales, who spoke on behalf of the production team, when asked for the reason for putting up the new show.

"We wanted a different format for Saturday and Sunday and I think we have the perfect hosts [in Gretchen and Mia] for it. And, again, the idea of having the Azkals with our hosts presents a different dynamic also. But it was just a natural progression from the Monday to Friday format so that when it comes to the weekends we will present something different but still using the brand and the name Gameday," added Gonzales, who hosted the launching of the new program yesterday.

For Ho, who recently finished his studies and eligibility as a member of the Ateneo de Manila University volleyball team, Gameday Weekend marks her first full-time hosting stint on TV.

"It is a privilege for me to be here and to be chosen by the management of Balls," said Ho, adding she is keeping herself fit by working out to keep up with the physical demands of the show while working double time in honing her hosting skills with the help of the people behind the program. -- Michael Angelo S. Murillo

source: bworldonline.com/

Weiss cited for work with Azkals

National football team coach Michael Weiss has been cited for his work with the Philippine Azkals by the German Football Ambassador 2013, which puts him in an elite group of nominees composed of high-profile German coaches from all over the world.

Weiss, who started coaching the Azkals in 2011 and steered the team to a third place finish in the AFC Challenge Cup and a semifinal stint in the AFF Suzuki Cup last year, was honored in a ceremony attended by Deutscher Fussball Botschafter founder Roland Bischoff in Cebu City Tuesday.

The award is given to German coaches who helped in the development of the sport outside Germany, according to Bischoff.
“I am positive that Michael Weiss will continue to be a major part in the development of football in the Philippines,” Bischoff added.

Among the nominees for the award include former German national team star Jurgen Klinsman, who now coaches the United States side, Bernd Stange, who is at the helm in Singapore, and Otto Pfister, who established a name for himself coaching national teams in Africa. The other nominee is Holger Obermann, who promotes women’s and youth football.

As part of his reward, Weiss was given the option to select a social project of his choice that will be supported by the DFB. The Azkals coach picked the Cebu Football Association, which has already started distributing footballs to 11 member clubs as part of the project.

“I am very honored that I was mentioned and nominated in the same category with such renowned German coaches who have had great success in foreign countries,” Weiss said. “For the moment, my full concentration is with the Philippine national team and the preparation for the AFC Challenge Cup next year in the Maldives.”


Source: http://sports.inquirer.net/

Racist issue mars Azkals win vs HK

HONG KONG—Friendly? Not so.

A scintillating victory by the Philippines in what was supposed to be a friendly match against Hong Kong took a controversial turn when the host country’s football officials were forced to confront reports of racist abuse during the match.

In what was easily one of the finest performance by the Azkals away from home, Neil Etheridge provided a quality performance between the posts, preserving James Younghusband’s first half goal in a 1-0 victory Tuesday night that was marred by an unruly home crowd at Mongkok Stadium here.

The South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday that Hong Kong fans at the game called their Filipino counterparts “slaves,” threw bottles at them and booed the Philippine national anthem.

The hostile crowd grew increasingly frustrated with every impressive save by Etheridge in a torrid final 20 minutes.

But ugly scenes marred the end of the match with the home crowd throwing debris at the Azkals and the Filipino gallery, which were made up mostly of women and children.

“This win is even more meaningful for us because of the large number of Filipinos working in Hong Kong,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami. “We dedicate this victory to them.”

Hong Kong Football Association spokesman Benny Chan said it will release an official report to the public and Fifa after it completes its investigation.

Philippine football officials said they were waiting for a report from their team before deciding whether to complain to Fifa.

The incident comes as Fifa decided last week to treat racist abuse more seriously by toughening up punishments.

Both teams were using the match to prepare for more important battles ahead with Hong Kong sharpening up for their Asian Cup Qualifying match in October and the Philippines toughening for the AFC Challenge Cup next year.

But the match was played at a fast pace with both teams pressing high, hoping to win the ball early and in dangerous areas. The Azkals carved out chances on the counter-attack and it was a swift move out from the backline that led to Stephan Schrock making a cross that the Hong Kong backline failed to clear.

Younghusband towered over his defender and directed his header beyond the arms of Hong Kong goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai for his eighth international goal.

Lifeline

Hong Kong was handed a lifeline when star striker Chan Siu Ki was adjudged to have been fouled by Juani Guirado inside the penalty box in the 66th minute. But Etheridge proved equal to the spotkick, saving with his left foot and showing quick reactions to clear the rebound.

Etheridge had three more sensational close-range stops as the Azkals coped with the pressure by the home side.

“It was a lucky victory but we have to take it as it is. We did not have enough time to prepare and I can only laud Neil Etheridge for his performance,” said Azkals coach Michael Weiss. “Slowly but surely, the team is understanding the concept of pressing and that is what we are trying to do even if we dont have our Europe-based players.” With a report from the Associated Press

Photo from: Azkals FILE PHOTO
Read more: Sports Inquirer