Palami walks a fine line managing the Philippine Azkals

Managing the Philippine Azkals is one enormous task in itself.

But Dan Palami is doing that and more. The past year has been a blur for Palami, who kept the Azkals together and hungry for more glory while managing the firm that handles maintenance work in the two Light Rail Transit lines.

The Azkals’ stock rose incredibly after a string of remarkable performances in the past nine months. And Palami was in the middle of it all, like an architect attempting to build a masterpiece.

Managing a business and running a team presents a delicate and difficult juggling act for some but for the 41-year-old Palami, who lives and breathes football, everything seems to come easy.

Catch an Azkals practice and chances are you’ll find Palami sweating on the pitch wearing boots and doing target practice on goal. Sometimes, he makes up the numbers when the team is lacking during scrimmages.

Talk about an Azkals’ victory or the exciting prospect of having a complete squad for an Azkals match and Palami’s face lights up.

The passion for football fuels Palami, an accountancy graduate at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. It’s this passion that made him decide to take on the manager’s job close to two years ago when the team was left wanting in sponsors.

Using his personal resources and tapping the help of his firm Autre Port Technique Global Inc., Palami secured enough funds to keep the team up and about. A few months into the job, the CPA from Tacloban City saw the grim reality facing the sport.

There were few players interested in trying out for the team, probably disillusioned by how the affairs of the national squad was ran before.

“That was one of the most difficult part, forming the team,” Palami said.

One by one, he tried to get the obstacles out of the way. And the players came. Yanti Barsales, the veteran striker who retired recently, recalled how Palami convinced him to return to the squad.

“Boss Dan simply assured us that it will not be like before when players were not taken care of,” Barsales said.

And with those words, Barsales made his final comeback to the national side, making an impact as a substitute in the AFC Challenge Cup last March. Phil Younghusband was also convinced to return to the side after he had a falling out with the previous Philippine Football Federation administration.

Now Younghusband, along with older brother James, are among the recognizable figures in the team, which they helped by combining for nine goals in the last four tournaments.

Palami said there’s no secret to the Azkals’ recent surge.

“It’s really hard work, dedication and motivation,” he said. Palami stressed the importance of having a plan and a goal and getting the message across the group.

“There should be a plan and everybody should be focused on making sure the goals that we had are met,” he added.

The mix of homegrown players and players born and raised abroad but with Filipino lineage has actually made the task more daunting for Palami. He believes he has managed it well.

Palami, whose resume includes working for a Belgian railway maintenance firm, said his experience in business came in handy when he handled the Azkals.

“The formula is when players know you really care for the team, the respect comes. They know especially those with the team ever since that the manager will be there to ensure they are protected. It’s actually almost the same as in business—though it’s profit-oriented—it still requires respect of people and employees.”

The Azkals’ success and the controversies that it has created put Palami’s managing skills to the test.

“I’ve always said that the Azkals are the biggest victims of their own success,” said Palami. “I give them (players) some slack to bask in their status and enjoy the limelight. But it has its limits.”

During the early stages of the preparations for the World Cup Qualifiers, though, Palami was apparently miffed when several players missed practices because of a myriad commitments. All of it seems to be behind him now.

“Every now and then you have to talk to them remind them not to forget the mission. Things have become more difficult for players and understandably, they also have to earn. We are not in the situation that the national team is the prime source of income,” said Palami.

Referring to the Azkals’ success and the players’ tendency to shift their focus away from the games, Palami said “we should not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.”

Palami came to his team’s defense when four players in the team were linked to a rape allegation. Palami said he held disciplinary action on them, stressing that his players’ were innocent until proven otherwise.

“When the issue came up, I thought of enforcing disciplinary action. But even if my decision would have been lauded by many, I didn’t push through because I had to protect the players and that’s one of the reasons why they respect me,” said Palami.

“I only have good intentions for them, but they also know that I will be the first one to punish them if they committed something that’s detrimental to the team.”

There were no charges filed against the players on the alleged rape case.

Palami said his love for the sport has kept him going in his post despite the financial demands.

“If you put in a business perspective, then you wouldn’t want it,” he said, adding, “but if you have a passion for the game, then everything else is secondary.”