Aly Borromeo
MANILA, Philippines – National football team skipper Aly Borromeo and midfielder Stephan Schrock were not given clearance to play in the first leg of the World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait after the International Football Federation (FIFA) rejected the plea to rescind the suspension Friday.
The decision was made despite Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) request to cancel the automatic suspension, which was caused by accumulated two yellow cards each on the crack pair.
“We were just trying [to have the suspension lifted] since Kuwait didn’t play the first round unlike the Philippines,” Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta told the INQUIRER.net. “AFC listened to us, but Fifa didn’t,”Araneta added.
Borromeo, who has been training with the squad for the last two weeks in the Middle East, will be watching in streetclothes when the Azkals clash with Kuwait in the away leg on July 23, even as Schrock will be tied up with squad in Germany.
FIFA directed PFF to appeal the cancelation of the suspension to the AFC, the governing body of football in Asia.
Alex Soosay, the General Secretary of the AFC, meanwhile made their recommendation pursuant to the Article 37 of Fifa Disciplinary Code.
The code states that, “the Disciplinary Committee may cancel cautions that have not resulted in an expulsion so as to restore the balance among several teams that have not played the same number of matches during the first round of a competition.”
But in the end, FIFA had the final say and Borromeo and Schrock would have to pay the price for their flare up during the first round leg against Sri Lanka.
Borromeo, though, will be available for the home leg at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on July 28.