Busy Azkals sked fills ‘Nehru’ void

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines will no longer see action in the Nehru Cup in India, but the Azkals will not have a shortage of high-level matches in September as they step up their preparations for the AFF Suzuki Cup in Thailand.

The Azkals will play three matches in a six-day, three-country swing with friendly games against Cambodia on Sept. 5 in Phnom Penh, Singapore, two days later and Laos in Vientiane on Sept. 10, according to Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta.

“The Nehru Cup would have been a great test for the team because of the strong teams there, but we will try to make up for it with better training and playing more friendly matches,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami.

The Southeast Asian swing falls on a Fifa international date, which means that the Azkals could use their Europe-based players.

September is actually a busy stretch for the Azkals with a four-nation tournament set in the last week of the month in Bacolod City.

“We can only get better with more matches,” said Palami.