James, Phil in spotlight

Siblings Phil and James Younghusband go at it one last time in the third and final installment of the Clear Dream Match – the biggest all-star game in the Philippines – tomorrow at the University of Makati field with Manchester United legends Paul Scholes and Andy Cole helping the brothers settle the score.

The Younghusbands split the first two editions of the event sponsored by Clear, with Phil’s team scoring a 5-2 victory in the inaugural edition and James’ squad getting back with a 4-1 triumph last year, making this year’s duel an exciting race to the finish.

Fans helped the Phil and James’ respective teams get first pick of the legends by scoring points for either teams online. Phil won the final online points tally, thanks to his active and digitally engaged fans, allowing him to pick Scholes to be part of the Team Phil contingent in the event backed by Fairmont, PLDT Fibr, Adidas, Chris Sports, Gatorade, Greenwich, The Camp, Jaguar, Mint and Sprinto.

Cole went to Team James.

“It will be my first time, and I’m excited to see the young new talent in Asia,” said Scholes, an 11-time Premier League winner. “It’s always a great experience to visit a country where football is a growing sport.”

Cited as one of the best midfielders of his generation, Scholes has made over 700 appearances for Manchester United and has the third-highest number of appearances by any player for the club. He has also played a key part in the club’s Treble-winning success in the 1998–99 season.

James was excited to welcome Cole on board. “It will be great to have Cole on the team. Team James wants to score several goals, and having the second highest goal scorer in English Premier League history on your team is such a huge asset,” he said.

source: mb.com.ph

James Joseph Placer Younghusband

James Younghusband is an English–Filipino footballer who plays as right midfielder for Loyola Meralco Sparks and the Philippines national team.

James Younghusband Player Profile:

Name: James Joseph Placer Younghusband

Position: Right Midfielder

Born: 4 September 1986 (Ashford, Middlesex, England)

Current Club: Loyola Meralco Sparks

Jersey No.: 7

Younghusbands, Caligdong may miss UFL match in Cebu

PHILIPPINE Azkals front liners Emilio “Chiefy” Caligdong of the Green Archers United Globe and James and Phil Younghusband of the Loyola Meralco Sparks FC might miss their bearing match in the ongoing United Football League (UFL) here at the Aboitiz Football Field on Nov. 10.

This after the Azkals are scheduled to fly to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a friendly match on Nov. 9 at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

But even without the Azkals stars, the bearing match will still push through to highlight the opening of the 16th season of the Aboitiz Football Cup, according to Cebu Football Association’s (CFA) grassroots committee chairman Raffy Musni in an interview with Cebu Daily News .

But Musni said the CFA will still be waiting for the final announcement from the UFL if Caligdong and the Younghusbands will play in the said match.

“With the Azkals’ upcoming schedules, it seems that Caligdong and the Younghusbands could miss playing for their teams but we have to wait for the announcement from UFL regarding the development of the three football stars’ appearance in the opening of the Aboitiz Football Cup,” Musni said.

The Philippine team is also set to face India on Nov. 15.

The Loyola Meralco Sparks recently won via a lopsided victory over the Blue Guards FC, 33-0, last Wednesday at the Emperador Stadium in Taguig City. The Green Archers FC also defeated the Blue Guards last Oct. 20.

source: newsinfo.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

‘PFF cannot meet Younghusbands’ demands’

The Philippines opens its campaign in the four-nation Paulino Alcantara Peace Cup against Guam at Rizal Memorial Stadium tonight with the specter of Phil and James Younghusband’s absence hanging over the national side.

The Azkals will be without two of their key players who were dropped from the lineup because of “commitment issues and economic and non-economic demands.”

National coach Michael Weiss remains upbeat even without the Fil-British brothers, who have accounted for 33 goals since they made their senior debuts in 2006.

“We have prepared well and there is good spirit in the team,” said Weiss, whose squad will be looking to end a 99-year wait for an international title.

The Azkals will be seeking a repeat win against Guamanians whom they crushed, 3-0, last June in Bacolod.

Philippine Football Federation communications head Ebong Joson revealed there “are certain economic and non-economic demands from the Younghusbands which we cannot meet.”

Without giving specifics, Joson said the PFF cannot even afford half of what Phil Younghusband “counter-offered” in the contract they gave in exchange for full commitment from national players until the 2012 Suzuki Cup in November.

But the brothers, in a separate press conference, said they were ready to accept the offer, although they have yet to sign the contract.

“We will even play for the national team for free,” said James.

Another tricky issue on the contract, James said, was their involvement on promotional activities of the team, which they cannot totally commit to.

The Younghusbands have a myriad of activities apart from the national team as they are also under contract with UFL club Loyola Meralco. They also run their own football academy aside from their commercial endorsement deals.

“They have performed but now they’ve overstretched a little bit too much,” said Weiss, noting that the two players have missed training sessions and matches in lieu of other commitments.

“They made a promise (of being there) and I said I cannot tolerate that you are not in the team most of the time.”

The German coach added: “We only asked for their total commitment from September to November.”

Weiss was noncommittal when asked if he was ready to give the brothers another chance after the Peace Cup.

“We’re still ready to play for the national team,” said the brothers.

Phil, James Dropped From Azkals

The Philippine Azkals will try to win the Philippine Football Peace Cup which starts tomorrow at the Rizal Memorial Stadium without charismatic brothers Phil and James Younghusband.

Both brothers, arguably two of the team's most popular players, have mysteriously been left out for the week-long tournament after the Azkals released their official lineup yesterday.

Their absence, despite the event being a friendly, will certainly play a key role in the team's preparation and cohesion for the AFF Suzuki Cup group stage slated November in Bangkok, Thailand.

The move will be the latest of a series of absence by the brothers this year. They recently missed the friendly match against Laos in Vientiane (the Azkals lost 2-0) to commemorate the one-year death anniversary of their mother.

They were also absent when the Filipino booters played friendlies in the Middle East, Malaysia and Chicago this year, citing various commitments.

Curiously, both players were also benched in the first half of the Azkals' 2-2 draw against Indonesia in June.

"Having greatly benefited from Suzuki Cup 2010, we expect our players to work harder than ever this year. Unfortunately, not everyone in the team could assure us of this; a few have already signified their unavailability for some crucial activities leading up to the tournament," the Azkals also said.

Still, Weiss has lightning-quick left winger Chieffy Caligdong, Denis Wolf and Patrick Reichelt to lean on.

3 key Azkals Players to miss KL friendly

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Azkals will likely miss three key starters when they play the Malaysian Tigers in a Fifa international friendly on June 1 in Kuala Lumpur.

Phil Younghusband, the Golden Boot awardee of the last AFC Challenge Cup, said he and his brother James will not be available against the Tigers due to a previous commitment.

Keeper Neil Etheridge will also sit out to serve a one-game suspension belatedly slapped by the AFC for his action in the Azkals’ third place match against Palestine in the Challenge Cup in Nepal.

“James and I won’t be able to play against Malaysia because we had a commitment we could not get out of,” said Phil during the recent launch of the Chelsea Soccer School Philippines, a joint undertaking of Chelsea FC and The Younghusband Football Academy.

“But we’ll be playing against Indonesia and Guam,” he assured, referring to two friendlies succeeding the Malaysia fixture, on June 5 against Indonesia at Rizal Memorial and on June 12 against Guam at Panaad Stadium in Bacolod.

Etheridge was penalized by the AFC disciplinary committee last month for “violating” Article 57 of the Disciplinary Code during the Azkals’ March 19 match against Palestine and slapped a $3,000 fine. The article stipulates that “Anyone who insults someone in any way, especially by using offensive gestures or language, or who violates the principles of fair play or whose behavior is unsporting in any other way may be subject to sanctions...”

The AFC did not specify what Etheridge did that merited the punishment. The Fil-British actually sat out that game as penalty for getting a red card during Phl XI’s previous outing against Turkmenistan in the semis of the same tourney so his alleged misconduct might have happened on the sidelines of that Palestine fixture.

“The friendly game against Malaysia is an AFC-sanctioned match and therefore, Etheridge should serve his suspension on that match,” said Azkals team coordinator Ace Bright.

The Azkals will hold a local training camp in San Carlos and Bacolod on May 21-28 to crank up their preparations for the three friendlies.

My say: We all know that the James and Phil Younghusbands are not only some dude with cute face neither the rest of the Azkals team. The Younghusbands and Neil are key players of Azkals that have already proven their worth. But let's not loose hope since the team still has a lot of great players and they will sure do their best to win the friendly game in Kuala Lumpur against the Malaysian Tigers on June 1. So let's show them our support and cheer them up kaholeros.

Malaysia, India invited vs Azkals in a friendly game and I think that the Azkals team will surely benefit from friendly matches because it will help them a lot in improving their skills.

Guirados break his silence on Cristy complaint

MANILA, Philippines - Fil-Spanish brothers Angel and Juani Guirado yesterday broke their silence on the complaint filed by AFC match commissioner Cristy Ramos accusing the two Azkals of sexual harassment in the dressing room before a recent friendly match at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.        


Ramos filed a complaint to the AFC disciplinary committee chaired by Lim Kia Tong charging Angel Guirado and Lexton Moy of “sexist and demeaning behavior” in a dugout encounter before the Azkals’ match against Malaysia last Feb. 29.


“I’m truly sorry for the misunderstanding and I apologize to Ms. Ramos for not being sensitive to her presence (in the dressing room),” said Guirado. “I wish to make clear that I intended no disrespect nor malice when Ms. Ramos called on me to check on my jersey number before our match against Malaysia. I wore my playing shorts but still had not put on my shirt. The accusation of sexual harassment is serious and grave and has caused much anguish and shock to my family as Spanish media has picked up the news. Throughout my life and career, I have kept our family name’s honor. I proudly represent both the Philippines and Spain as an athlete. I will never do anything to compromise this responsibility.”


Guirado, 27, was born in Malaga, Spain, to a Spanish father and Filipina mother. He was recruited to join the Azkals last year. His older brother Juani, 32, was later recruited and played for the Azkals in the recent AFC Challenge Cup where the national squad took a historic third place. The Guirado brothers played a key role in propelling the Azkals’ rise as a Southeast Asian football contender.


While issuing the statement, Guirado showed a copy of the story that appeared in the widely-circulated Spanish daily sports newspaper “Marca” with a two-layer headline “Denuncian por ‘acoso sexual’ en Filipinas al espanol Angel Guirado” (Complaint for sexual harassment in the Philippines for Spanish Angel Guirado). The story is stored in his i-phone.


“In Spain, it is a serious charge when you are accused of sexual harassment,” said Guirado. “My parents are very disturbed and even went to the Spanish Football Association to explain the situation. I was accused of purposely just wearing briefs and made no attempt to wear shorts or cover my underwear when I faced Ms. Ramos in the dressing room and that was the basis of the accusation of sexual harassment.”


Guirado’s older brother Juani, who left Manila yesterday for Spain to resume his work in the quality control section of Pepsi Cola and rejoin his football club in Burgos, said the situation was blown out of proportion and caused unnecessary shame not only to Angel but also to the entire national football team and the country.


“The headline in ‘Marca’ was very alarming,” said Juani. “In my opinion, this could have been avoided if only Ms. Ramos waited until we got back from Nepal, called on Angel and Lex to explain themselves one-on-one and clear the misunderstanding. As it happened, the complaint was filed after we left for Nepal and neither Angel nor Lex had a chance to explain their side. Instead, the complaint was filed to the AFC and broadcast in media while we were in Nepal fighting for the Philippines. It really affected our morale especially since there was no malice, no sexual harassment, no intent to disrespect. The match commissioner is a person of authority and football players all over the world acknowledge this fact.”


Meanwhile, Angel said he regrets receiving the two yellow cards that disqualified him from playing against Turkmenistan in the recent Challenge Cup semifinals. One came in the North Korea game and the other against Tajikistan. “I don’t know what could’ve happened if I played with James (Younghusband) and (Jason) Sabio,” he said. “Maybe, we would have a better chance of winning but I can’t say because our replacements were just as skillful. You’ll never know in football.” He said he couldn’t understand why he was flashed the yellow cards, particularly the second, but didn’t protest as the referee’s judgment is final. Younghusband also sat out the game due to two accumulated yellow cards and Sabio couldn’t play because of a knee injury.


The Guirado brothers and another Fil-Spanish player Carli de Murga were on the Global F. C. team that scored a 5-1 win over Kaya F. C. in the UFL at the University of Makati pitch last Saturday. It was Juani’s farewell match before returning to Spain. Juani said he hopes to be back in October to rejoin the Azkals for the Suzuki Cup.


De Murga, 23, scored twice in the victory over Kaya and caused an own goal by Kaya to power Global’s rout. De Murga recently had a tattoo marked on his right bicep showing a feathered pen and the words “Mahal Kita.” On the back of both his wrists are tattooed the name of his Filipina mother Jacqueline (Olaivar) and Junior, his nickname. On his ankles are tattooed the name of his brother Antonio and his own name Carlos Alberto.

source: philstar.com

My take: We really hope that the sexual harassment issue against the two Azkals player will be cleared. I am not saying that they are right or wrong but for the truth to come out. Sexual harassment is a very serious offense and everyone should know that such acts should not be tolerated. It maybe a case of misunderstanding due to culture differences but I hope that the two sides talk to each other, explain their sides and try to understand what happened then decide what to do so such situations will not happen again.

Who Is Hotter Between James And Phil?

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