Azkals on the loose

Manila, Philippines - Back in 2005, football was an afterthought in the Philippines. With dismal results in international play and low fan interest, the national team seemed like a lost cause.

At the time, the players who did make the commitment to represent their country felt neglected.

“Before, there was no support for the team,” says Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Mariano Araneta. “They were telling themselves, ‘We’re just like the stray dogs, eating leftovers.’ So they said, ‘Why don’t we call the team the Azkals?’”

Suddenly, a new identity was born. Now, six years later, Azkal support has reached fever pitch. They have been embraced by Filipinos not just here in the country, but all over the world.

Aly Borromeo and Sri Lanka’s Mohamed Katz Shafraz battle for a high ball.

“I don’t think they’re stray dogs anymore,” Araneta said with a laugh.

Recently, an estimated 14,000 Azkaleros and Azkaleras filled Rizal Memorial Stadium to witness their sporting heroes record a dominating 4-0 victory over Sri Lanka and advance past the first round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for the first time – ever.

“It’s quite inspiring,” manager Dan Palami said. “And really, all the effort you put into building the team – the years, the resources – suddenly all of it becomes irrelevant once you see the outpouring of support from the Filipinos. Where before you felt alone, now you feel like there’s a lot of you involved and really cheering the team on. For the players and for myself as manager, it was an experience we would want to do over and over again.”

For the Azkals, the road to get to this point was long and winding, the ride a roller-coaster one.

In September 2006, the team tumbled down the FIFA rankings to 195th, its lowest ever. That time marked a dark period for Philippine football. According to Palami, the country’s top talent refused invitations to join the national team, preferring to play for their schools instead. Local recruitment was “disappointing.”

Little by little, with the squad having more success and management showing a greater dedication to winning, what followed what a revolution of sorts.

Fans celebrate as the Azkals beat Sri Lanka 4-0 in their FIFA World Cup qualifying match at the Rizal stadium. Jun Mendoza/Star

First, the PFF received an anonymous e-mail from a young fan who, while playing a FIFA video game, discovered that two Chelsea youth academy players had Filipino lineage and were eligible to play for the Azkals. Thus, Phil and James Younghusband were brought to Manila. More and more Fil-foreigners playing abroad joined the Azkals, and the core of the team was formed.

2010 marked the turning point for the team. In the AFF Suzuki Cup, the Azkals followed up a 1-1 draw with three-time champion Singapore with a stunning 2-0 win over Asian football superpower Vietnam, arguably the biggest upset in tournament history. In the knockout stage, the Philippines barely lost to Indonesia, 1-0, in front of 70,000 Indonesian fans in Jakarta.

“After that, the floodgates were open and the surge of support happened all of a sudden” Araneta said.

Although the Azkals have found a home in the hearts of Filipinos all over the country and are no longer a ragtag group of stray canines, they will be underdogs yet again against their next opponent in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Ranked 102nd, Kuwait marks the strongest opponent the Azkals will face in recent history. To beat the Asian powerhouse, the team will have to put on a near-flawless performance. Araneta knows this, but for him, the Azkals’ biggest foe isn’t Kuwait, or any of the other teams in Asia for that matter: It’s the lack of quality development programs for young local footballers.

Anton Nimal Dehiwalagie leaps over Azkal Manuel Ott. Jun Mendoza/Star

“My ultimate goal is really to develop our grassroots so that we will have more players playing at the national level later on,” the PFF president said. “Maybe eight years from now, if we qualify for the World Cup, that is my goal. But the Azkals have to continue performing as well. They serve as inspiration for the young football players in the country. People thrive on inspiration and models, and I want the Azkals to be the role models for our youth teams.”

For the next four to five years, Palami wants to continue recruiting Filipinos playing for prestigious clubs abroad. By that time, he believes the grassroots training movement will have kicked in, and many more local footballers will be skilled enough to make the Azkals a force on the international stage.

“Internationally we are actually now being considered an emerging country when it comes to football,” Palami says. “Finally we can say that there really is a future for this sport with the Filipinos. Where before we were once knocking, now we have one foot in the door. This could only improve in the next years.”

The Azkals face Kuwait on July 23 in Kuwait and on July 28 in Manila.