Boost for Cebu

AFTER an impressive stint at the Festival of Football in San Carlos City, 14 Cebuano booters have caught the eye of national team coaches and were picked to join the national Boys Under-13 and Girls Under-14 training pools.

Nine Boys Under-13 players of the Cebu Elite team have been chosen, while five Girls Under-14 players have also been picked to join the training pool.

Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu’s Jacob Braun, Sacred Heart-Hijas’ Louie Arreglo and Don Bosco Technology Center’s Froi Custado, Josh Rupert Asignar, Charles Clarence Unabia, Tristan Karl Enad, Yuan Rena, Vince Kristi Ybanez and Vincent Paul Mapula will join the 13-Under boys team.

On the other hand, Itsuko Bacatan of Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcio-Mandaue, Samantha Claire Toledo of University of San Carlos-North, Jan Reese Jumawan of St. Theresa’s College, Alexandrea Gumilao of St. Agustin International School and Arantxa Mari Trebol of University of Cebu-Mandaue will join the girls squad.

The Cebuano booters will be joining the training pool next month in Pasig City.

The Boys Under-13 Cebu Elite team and the Girls Under-14 Cebu Elite squad were impressive in their campaign at the Festival of Football in San Carlos City last April 25 to 27, going unbeaten against teams from Dumaguete, Iloilo, Bacolod, San Carlos City and Leyte.

The Boys Under-13 Elite team was headed by head coach Totot Colina, assistant coach Jojo Tapia and goalkeeping coach Henderson Campo. The Girls Under-14 squad was led by head coach Marlou Solon, assistant coach Epifanio Ynot and goalkeeping coach Binky Estrada. The delegation head was Jose Antonio Trebol, while Haruo Iwanaga of Hiroshi FC sponsored their kits.

Meanwhile, Azkals manager Dan Palami was impressed with the turnout of the crowd in last Sunday match between the Philippines and Malaysia at the Cebu City Sports Center.

“This is one of the things that encourage us to find an excuse to hold a friendly here in Cebu. Cebu is a good host has good fans. We are grateful and thankful,” said Palami.

Aside from the morale boost, the Cebuanos also gave their financial support with a total of a P150,000 for Azkals’ campaign in Maldives for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup.

“We were given a surprise by the CFA (Cebu Football Association), with the initiative of Ricky Dakay. They placed a water bottle at the entrance and ask for support for the Azkals. It is something unexpected and a pleasant surprise,” said Palami.

Yesterday, Global FC youth teams played exhibition matches against Cebu teams at the CCSC.

The Global FC Under-9 team settled to a 1-1 draw with Lahug FC, while SHS-AdC beat the Global FC Under-11 squad, 1-0.

source: sunstar.com.ph

Azkals boss Dan Palami recounts family’s Tacloban nightmare

Last week Azkals manager Dan Palami was in Singapore's Changi airport. He had just seen his club team, Global, lose the Singapore Cup third place match. The Leyteño was checking in for his flight to Abu Dhabi for last Saturday's Azkals match with the United Arab Emirates.

And then he got a phone call that changed everything.

He heard that Typhoon Yolanda had barreled into Tacloban, where his parents, brother, and sister-in-law live together in one house. Palami decided to go back home to Manila instead.

The Azkals manager lost contact with his family for two days. When he was finally able to speak to his loved ones, the news was awful.

While his parents, Boy and Sonia, and brother Ted and his wife Heidi were safe, two other members of the Palami household weren't so lucky.

Rissa and Katkat were two young Tacloban women who the Palamis were helping through college at St. Theresa's Educational Foundation Tacloban Inc. (STEFTI), the school the Palami family owns. They lived at the Palami house as household help.

The storm surge that came with Yolanda's winds on Thursday roared into the Palami's home just 800 meters away from the shore, engulfing the entire first floor up to the ceiling.

“There are tall buildings in between the shore and our house. I thought they would block the waves. But the water still reached my family.”

Palami's family members were in the second floor when the water hit. But Rissa and Katkat were in their downstairs quarters. They never stood a chance, and drowned in the onrushing torrent.

Rissa, a first-year Education student in STEFTI, was previously the nanny to Palami's kids in Manila, but elected to go home to Tacloban to pursue a college education instead. That decision cost her her life.

The Palamis who survived were also in dire straits. According to Dan, he has had only intermittent contact with his family since the tragedy. And the stories they tell are heart-rending.

Dan's parents must walk six kilometers to the city hall, the only spot with signal and cell phone service, to call Dan. The way there is a dystopian hellhole of devastated homes and debris scattered all over the place.

“But the worst part for them was seeing dead bodies on the way. And realizing that some of the bodies were people they knew, friends and neighbors.”

The four are low on provisions. Biscuits are their only sustenance, and they carefully sip the few remaining bottles of water they have to make them last as long as possible.

Palami tried to send a charter plane from Cebu to pick up his family. But there was only a four-hour window for planes to land in the ravaged Tacloban airport, and since there was no way of contacting the family, it became logistically impossible.

As of the writing of this report, Palami had instructed the four to make the arduous ten-kilometer trek to the airport (his parents are in their seventies) and sleep there while another chartered Cessna is scheduled to take the family to safety on Tuesday.

The Palamis stuck in Tacloban speak of unspeakable anarchy in the streets of Tacloban, where looting is rampant.

“This catastrophe has brought out the best in some people and the worst in others,” Palami laments. His family also tells him that the city jail has been affected, and inmates are roaming free.

Palami has also sent a land convoy over the San Juanico Bridge from Samar to help out relatives. He says a second batch will be on its way soon, with a security detail.

According to Dan the Azkals will do their part to chip in. On Friday there will be a donation drive in Mercato in Taguig from 4 pm until 3 am the next day. For donations in kind, priority items are the essentials: water, ready-to-eat food, mats, blankets, and first aid items.The Azkals' away friendly at India, which kicks off at 9 pm, will also be aired there live. You may visit the event's Facebook page for more details.

For now all Palami can do is wait and hope that the chartered plane can indeed bring his family safe to Cebu. Meanwhile he plans for the future in Tacloban.

“I have to build a completely new house. And because of this, I have to think twice about building it in the same place.”

Weiss may begin Azkals preparations

With a deal with coach Michael Weiss nearing completion, the Philippine Football Federation can now focus on preparations for the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers in March.

As soon as Weiss is on board, the Azkals will have two months to prepare for the Group E qualifiers on March 22 to 26 at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

“I think the main issues have been resolved,” said Azkals manager Palami in yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

“The basic terms have been agreed and we look forward to the preparations for the Challenge Cup.”

The PFF offered Weiss a six-month extension, which federation general secretary Ed Gastanes said was a collective decision involving him, PFF president Nonong Araneta and Palami.

“The decision was made … based not only the success but the problems that we had,” said Gastanes.

A three-day camp is set from Jan. 28 to 31 for the Azkals, who are flying to Yangon for a friendly with Myanmar on Feb. 6.

Palami said Fil-Spanish striker Javier Patino Lachica will be part of the pool for the Challenge Cup as soon as he gets his passport.

Patino, who traces his roots in Cebu and plays for Cordoba in the Spanish second division, is expected to fly in this week to process the requirements needed to get a passport.

In the Challenge Cup, the Azkals will face Brunei, Cambodia and Turkmenistan with the top team in the group earning a spot in the main tournament in the Maldives next year.

Gastanes hinted that Weiss could stay longer if he steers the country to the Challenge Cup main tournament next year.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Azkals U-23 Seeking Historic Finish

Azkals team manager Dan Palami believes that the Philippine U-23 team that they are tying to form this early can accomplish what the previous squad failed to do in the last SEA Games in Palembang, Indonesia.

Palami cited several mistakes the team did that led to its disastrous showing two years ago, foremost of them was lack of preparations.

According to Palami, the Philippine Football Federation is now making early preparations for the squad with scheduled camps abroad in their bid to accomplish the Herculean task in the Myanmar SEA Games slated this December.

The country has yet to win a football medal since the sports was included in the biennial meet.

“I think we still have a good chance of securing a medal finish in the SEA Games and with the early preparation that we have right now, we should stand a big chance,” said Palami.

Although the pool has yet to be finalized, Palami hinted that veteran Jason de Jong, twins Marwin and Marvin Angeles, Jeff Christieans, Matthew Uy and brothers Manny and Mike Ott are among the players being considered for the biennial meet.

Neil Etheridge is still eligible to play for the SEAG team but the availability of the stocky 22-year old goalie will depend on whether his English Premier League club Fulham is willing to release their second-choice keeper for the biennial meet.

source: mb.com.ph

Palami wants Azkals to be the best in Asia

The Philippine Azkals have gone a long way since their inception several years ago.

On September 2006 the country fell to 195th on the Fifa World Rankings, its lowest ever. Because of the Azkals program the country has climbed to 147th, its highest ever ranking, as of October, 2012.

From No. 33 in Asia the country is now No. 22 and most importantly the Philippines is now the No. 3 team in Southeast Asia behind only Thailand and Vietnam.

The Azkals have made huge strides. But according to Azkals team manager Dan Palami, the 42-year-old businessman from Tacloban who started bankrolling the national team two years ago, the best is yet to come because apparently they have loftier goals than just ruling the Southeast Asian arena.

“We hope to become number one in Southeast Asia by the end of the year. After Southeast Asia, we’ll set our sights on Asia. We’ll just try to make it one (goal) at a time,” he said.

The Azkals have indeed arrived. But because they’ve established their credibility the tradeoff is that opposing teams now scout more and prepare much harder before they play against the Azkals.

“Our neighbors no longer consider us underdogs. We have to live up to expectations not only for our fans here in the Philippines, but also in the competitions. We’re no longer coming in as a surprise team. All the other teams are paying attention to us now,” said Palami.

Success has not come easy and problems abound and not just on the pitch. It is not a secret that the Azkals have been involved in a lot of issues and controversies several times. Palami is always there to take up the cudgels for his players.

“More than anybody else, I know the boys will never do such things to destroy the team. It was just that they were often misunderstood. Now I know they are more sensitive to what is happening to the team,” Palami said.

Palami said it was a difficult to handle a team in a sport that was not popular nationwide. He was aware that the entire country basked in the success of basketball and was not very fond of football. This did not deter the president of the Leyte Football Association who took on the challenge of managing the Azkals.

“Nobody wanted my job before, especially when the team kept on losing matches. But then somebody had to take the chance. So I took on the challenge. I’m finding out what I can do for the team,” Palami said.

Palami accepted the responsibility of handling the team and assembled a mixture of talent for the Azkals, getting the services of Aly Borromeo, Anton del Rosario, Chieffy Caligdong, Ian Araneta, and the Fil-foreign football players: the Younghusband brothers, Phil and James, Neil Ethridge and Robert Gier.

He then gathered several sponsors to supply and clothe the team. From then on, even though he had a day job as manager of his own company, Palami never turned his back on the Azkals.

“I’ll never forget how it was when we all started, when the players, myself and the management were all trying to build the dream. It’s nice to recall those moments and then you realize where you are now. You tell yourself that everything turned out well,” Palami said.

The team has matured according to its team manager. Right now it is preparing for the upcoming Suzuki Cup in Thailand this November 24.

The team’s development now can be compared to a grade-schooler who is ready to take on his high school life according to Palami.

“We are now about to graduate elementary. To improve we have been playing as a team against high school teams like Bahrain and Kuwait,” said Palami of the improved competition his team now has to face.

Azkals just had their 10-day training stint in the Middle East against Bahrain and Kuwait which according to the team manager, only shows that they’re on the right track.

“We are now ready to fight. I can see the progress of the team from before. We can see the quality of players that we have. Some members of team of 2010 are no longer here but we are thankful for their contribution,” said an optimistic Palami despite the Azkals 2-1 loss to Kuwait and the scoreless draw with Bahrain.

The following weeks will be tough for the Azkals. After losing the Younghusbands (who have since committed to return to the program) for a spell the team faces more uncertainty with players like Neil Ethridge, Roland Muller, Stephan Schrock and Angel Guirado possibly missing more games.

Despite the handicap, the Azkals are hoping to reach a whole new level when they see action in the Asean region’s premier football competition. They will play in the 2012 AFF Cup, also known as the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup. This will be the ninth edition of the Asean Football Championship, the football championship of Southeast Asia which will be co-hosted by Malaysia and Thailand and will be held Nov. 24 to Dec. 12, 2012.

However, if the past few years have shown anything it is that Dan Palami has a sound program in the Azkals who have improved consistently through the years and that aspiring to be the best football team in Asia is not just an empty pipe dream but an achievable, realistic objective to aspire for.

source: manilastandardtoday.com

Palami: Azkals stronger now

THE PHILIPPINES will have a “much stronger side” than the one that made the semifinals of the AFF Suzuki Cup two years ago when the tournament kicks off Nov. 24 in Bangkok.

This was the assessment of Azkals manager Dan Palami, who said the depth of the side has improved significantly following the influx of new talents over the past two years.

“We’re a much stronger team now,” Palami said at yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Mabini in Manila. “We have a lot of offensive options, unlike in 2010 when our focus was really defending and counter-attacking.”

But Palami said there’s no guarantee that the Azkals’ will have an easier path in the Suzuki Cup with teams like Thailand and Vietnam—two teams in the Azkals’ group which failed to meet expectations two years ago—aching to bounce back.

“We’re no longer coming in as a surprise team,” said Palami. “All the teams are paying attention to us now.”

The Azkals, who narrowly lost to Indonesia in the last four two years ago, are coming off a 10-day camp in the Middle East last week, where they showed up powerhouse sides Bahrain and Kuwait. A couple of local mini-camps have been lined up for the team, before a friendly match with Singapore on Nov. 15 in Cebu City caps the Azkals’ preparations.

Palami attended the forum sponsored by Smart, Outlast Battery and Pagcor with players Marwin Angeles, Misagh Bahadoran and Demitrius Omphroy.

The team still has concerns with the availability of players, particularly goalkeepers Neil Etheridge and Roland Muller and star midfielders Stephan Schrock and Angel Guirado.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Dan Palami Scouts For New Azkals Members

Philippine Azkals manager Dan Palami is off, with Brussels, Belgium as the first stop on a working tour of Europe, searching for more football players of Filipino lineage to lure to the national cause. Some of the veteran Fil-foreign players on the Azkals are playing bigger roles with their mother clubs in Europe, and are going to be less available as the seasons wear on. Some of them may not even be released by their pro teams, at all.

When asked how he was going to attract these players, and if the job was easier now with the team’s relative fame, Palami had a standard-issue answer.

“What’s my pitch going to be? It’s going to be the same as it was with guys like Rob Gier, when nobody knew – or cared – about the Azkals,” explained Palami. “It’s a chance to play for flag and country.”

What the general public does not realize (particularly those who have biases against the inclusion of “half-Filipino” players), is that it is often a great financial sacrifice for these young men to come to the Philippines at the cost of jobs with limited slots in the soccer hotbeds in Europe. Some of our players receive $10,000-$20,000 salaries to play professionally in Europe, which is no mere pittance. Yet, many of them have risked their professional careers and taken leaves of absence to suit up for matches wearing the Philippine flag.

Managing sensitivities on the issue of race is also something the Philippine Football Federation is now conscious of. Bear in mind that the huge sums being given as sponsorship money to the Azkals actually go to the coffers of the PFF for grassroots development. With the sport’s development having been “dormant for decades” as Palami says, it will “take four years” or so before we develop another Chieffy Caligdong. In the meantime, the team needs the technology transfer and seasoned talent of Fil-foreign players who are willing to don the flag.

There are a lot of big tournaments awaiting the Azkals, who are also part of the United Football League individually, and to some extent, members of the Under-23 team. The Southeast Asian Games involves the younger Azkals, while the Suzuki Cup and AFC are slated for next year. These major tournaments coincide with breaks in major European leagues, as FIFA avoided the overlap between national and club teams. In the meantime, there are more diamonds in the rough home and away, waiting to be discovered. Published in The Philippine Star