Karl Decena, InterAKTV
Without naming names, management of the Philippine national football team released a statement on Sunday about the makeup of the national team for the Philippine Football Peace Cup, which would feature the Azkals without stars Phil and James Younghusband.
The management said it “asked the players to give their unequivocal commitment to participate fully in the preparations,” but not all members of the Azkals were able to do this.
“Having greatly benefited from Suzuki Cup 2010, we expect our players to work harder than ever this year,” the PFF said. “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 PFF added that it understands the reasons behind the absence of some players from national team matches.
“While this is admittedly a setback in our plans, we understand that family obligations and club/work commitments sometimes take precedence,” the PFF said. “The coaching staff will instead make adjustments in the game plan and in the roster of players, starting from the Philippine Football Peace Cup.”
The PFF, however, didn’t address the Younghusband brothers specifically. But they are the most notable players missing from the lineup for the four-nation tournament.
Earlier, InterAKTV reported that Phil and James were left out of the Azkals lineup for Peace Cup, with coach Hans Michael Weiss informing them of the news through a text message.
“James sorry for not being able to talk to you personally… so I have to inform you per text that Phil and you are not included in the list for the Peace Cup… anything else after remains to be seen… take care and all the best! MW” wrote Weiss in a text message to James.
The Azkals will face Guam on Tuesday, Macau on Thursday and Chinese Taipei on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium for the Peace Cup. The matches are part of their buildup for the 2012 ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup, where they aim to duplicate their semifinal finish in the same competition two years ago.
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