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MANILA, Philippines—The International Football Federation (Fifa) may have nullified the 1-2 loss of the Philippines to Laos because of a technicality, but it doesn’t take away the fact that the Azkals still have plenty of work to do before the AFF Suzuki Cup late this year.
With 11 weeks to go before the tournament in Bangkok, where they will collide with established sides in Thailand and Vietnam, Azkals manager Dan Palami is confident that there will be enough time to work on the team’s weaknesses.
“I’m quite positive that there will be enough time for us to get ready,” Palami said as the Azkals arrived in Manila yesterday from a three-country Southeast Asian swing highlighted by a stunning 2-0 win over Singapore last Friday.
The Azkals still have three more matches this month against Guam, Chinese-Taipei and Macau as they compete in the Paulino Alcantara Peace Cup from Sept. 25 to 29 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
In a report on news website Interaktv, Fifa nullified the international friendly in Vientiane last Monday because all four referees from Laos were not accredited by the world governing body.
Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta said they have yet to receive word from Fifa about the nullification of the match.