An apology to the noble Azkals

I will be making a public apology, but first things first.
I am an avid fan of the Philippine Azkals and will remain as one, no matter what.
Too bad that, in reprinting a column passed on to me by a trusted colleague in the media, who hit the tyranny and arrogance of marshals hired by the Philippine Football Federation, the Azkals also got slurred collaterally.
I was at first hesitant to run it but, on second thought, decided to use that column passed on to me by Danny Simon of Policefiles in full.
Why? Because it became clear that the abusive marshals rode on the success and popularity of the heroic Azkals in order to inflict their tyranny on poor spectators, including national athletes and our co-workers in the media.
Yes, the Azkals were not to blame, and I’m very sorry.
Maybe this need not be mentioned, but that item by Simon was welcomed by friends and other readers as an eye-opener.
These people did agree that, indeed, through no fault of the Azkals, not everybody went home happy from that historic win scored by our country at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
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Not everybody happy but, as could be expected, not everybody liked that item I reprinted here in my previous column.
Please share this sentiment of one aggrieved Fil-Am sports fan:
“As a Filipino-American, the article is very hurtful. Hurtful in that there are individuals out there who do not consider us ‘Filipinos’ just because we’re ‘half.’ There are literally hundreds, even thousands of Fil-Ams like myself who wish to do nothing but good for our parent’s homeland, but the attitude of a few is very discouraging and disheartening.
“The Azkals have every right to play for the Philippine National Team, and this author is nothing short of disgusting. He has no right to blame the team for the actions of the PFF and government officials. And what baffles me is that the writer shamelessly calls out just the ‘Fil-foreign’ players and not the entire squad which also consists of pure Pinoys. Lastly, professional journalists are supposed to be neutral in their writings and not biased, but this article clearly leans one way towards hatred against the team.
“I really hope this is Mr. Trinidad’s last article and that his credibility as a journalist be completely taken away. Recah Trinidad is biased, racist, and shouldn’t be part of your organization.
“I appeal and demand for him to issue a public apology to all OFW/Foreign Based Pinoys with sons and daughters whose father or mother is a foreigner. This racial slur shouldn’t be permitted in our society. It is irresponsbile and demeans the meaning of what a Filipino is.”
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Again, I’m very sorry for the tragic impression that item had caused.
There was no intention to make a racist slur, I swear.
I take full responsibility.
I would kindly thank the letter-writer but, at the same time, he may want to check with Azkals manager Dan Palami about my status as an avid fan and backer of the national football team.
The Azkals, after Manny Pacquiao, are the next best things that happened to Philippine sports lately.
Of course, I honestly believe Palami and the members of the team would not condone the misdeeds committed against plain Pinoys during that historic match against Sri Lanka.
I promise to make a second apology, but only if the organizers would be able to honestly refute the veracity of those charges made by Simon, who reported from the scene.