Azkals eyeing ‘12th Man’ for Qualifiers  

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Football Federation aims to gather at least a 10,000-strong roaring home crowd to rally the Azkals on when they play at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in the coming FIFA World Cup-AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Less than a month before the Azkals hit the RMS pitch for the second round of the Qualifiers on Nov. 16 against Vietnam, the PFF launched its “Stand Your Ground: 10K Strong!” battlecry in a bid to entice Pinoy fans back.

“The fans have always played a vital role behind the success of the men’s national team,” said PFF president Mariano Araneta.

“As the Azkals embark on another historic World Cup Qualifiers campaign, our objective is to make them feel the support of the fans. Let us rally behind our team and show that we can pack Rizal Memorial Stadium. Let us stand our ground for our team and for our country,” he added.

Araneta envisions a rocking house at the 12,873-seater venue just like in the old days when a crowd-backed Azkals scored the country’s breakthrough 1-0 win over Sri Lanka and Stephan Schrock scored his historic goal against Kuwait back in 2011.

Now on the rebuilding stage, the Azkals are set for duels with Vietnam, Iraq and playoffs winner Indonesia in the second round of the home-and-away Qualifiers.