Football: We’ve got the money, let us play

WITH the issue of funding already sorted out, football officials yesterday urged the country’s Southeast Asian Games task force to reconsider the exclusion of their teams in the biennial meet in Burma (Myanmar) in December.

Dan Palami, chair of the Philippine Football Federation’s national teams committee, also promised to send teams to the Games that will make the country proud.

“The (PFF) will do whatever it takes to send our teams to Myanmar,” said Palami at the PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate. “If it is P12 million, then let it be P12 million.”

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) have strongly hinted at scrapping football from the national contingent due to the cost of sending some 80 athletes and officials for the sport in the SEA Games set Dec. 11 to 22.

But Palami, who was joined in the session by women’s national team coach Ernie Nierras and PFF spokesperson Ebong Joson, stressed that the PSC and POC will not be spending for the football teams in the SEA Games.

“This is why the PFF, with the help of the private sector, is willing to spend as much because we believe that our teams have strong chances of winning gold medals,” said Palami.

The PFF wants to field the national Under-23 squad in the men’s competition.

Palami said they are looking beyond the SEA Games in the participation of the Under-23 Azkals, whom he believes are a much-improved, better-prepared version than the one that saw action two years ago in Indonesia.

The PFF is also hoping to get the nod of the PSC and POC for the national women’s squad, popularly known as the Malditas, and the men’s futstal team to the regional meet.

“I don’t think we’re asking that much. We are already doing our part,” Nierras said, noting that the Malditas were the most improved team in the international rankings last month.

Palami warned that not sending football to Burma would be sending the wrong signals to private sponsors.

“If the private sector believes in our sport and our sports officials don’t believe in sending our athletes anyway, then we are sending the wrong signals,” he said.