DUBAI // In a world of Indomitable Lions and Super Eagles, the sobriquet for the Philippines national football team appears to have been lost in translation.
The squad are called The Azkals, a Tagalog term translating as stray dogs, and was inherited in 2005 when players, growing disillusioned by their inability to siphon some of the swollen support shown to boxing and basketball in their homeland, said they felt they were living off leftover scraps.
Seven years later much has changed. Michael Weiss, the team's German manager, concedes he still faces "a new challenge every day", but with home games "almost always a sell-out" and the squad arriving in the UAE this week as part of a Middle East tour, there are signs football is preparing to take the fight to the country's more dominant sports.
"Before, people thought the Philippines was just beaches and nice girls, but now we are developing football," Weiss said at a press conference announcing two Dubai-based exhibition matches. "There is still so much to do here, so many areas to improve and the basic stuff has taken a long time, but now at least we are all able to wear the same T-shirts."
Weiss, wearing a blue Azkals training top with the Philippines national flag on its sleeve, was joined by the captain Emelio Caligdong and James Younghusband, an England-born midfielder who, having graduating from Chelsea's youth academy, now plays for Manila-based Loyola Meralco Sparks.
The team will face Uzbekistan Under 23s on Saturday before travelling to Qatar to meet Doha-based Al Ahli. They will return to the UAE for a final match with Australia's U23 team next Thursday. "It's been a difficult past couple of months," said Younghusband, who is joined in the Azkals squad by brother Philip. "The Philippines is still a developing nation in football, but we are all trying to reach the same goal. The three games should provide a great test for us and we are hopeful of a strong turnout."
Benito Valeriano, the consul-general of the Philippines, said there are more than 500,000 Filipinos in the UAE, but Weiss is more focused on performances than posteriors on plastic seats.
"Teams here have maybe five pitches to train on, whereas we have maybe only five pitches in the whole of Manila," he said. "It is important we make the most of this opportunity."
The training camp is seen as ideal preparation for the Azkals' AFC Challenge Cup campaign, which runs from March 8-19 in Kathmandu. The Philippines have been drawn in a group with India, North Korea and Tajikstan, all previous winners of the tournament for developing football nations.
[ gmeenaghan@thenational.ae ]
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Transmission: 6-speed automatic
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Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
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Price, base: Dh1,731,672
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2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
MATCH INFO
Rajasthan Royals 158-8 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 143/7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals won by 15 runs
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
Results
Men's finals
45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.
51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. 54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.
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71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg: Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).
81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.
91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.
Women's finals
45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.
51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.
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The Details
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Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
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Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
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JERSEY INFO
Red Jersey
General Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the leader of the General Classification by time.
Green Jersey
Points Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the fastest sprinter, who has obtained the best positions in each stage and intermediate sprints.
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Black Jersey
Intermediate Sprint Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the rider who has gained the most Intermediate Sprint Points.
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Seven Skies, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qais Aboud
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Winner: Almahroosa, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Sumoud, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Adventurous, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
'Will of the People'
Artist: Muse
Label: Warner
Rating: 2.5/5
All The Light We Cannot See
Creator: Steven Knight
Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie, Aria Mia Loberti
Rating: 1/5
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
J Street Polling Results
97% of Jewish-Americans are concerned about the rise in anti-Semitism
76% of US Jewish voters believe Donald Trump and his allies in the Republican Party are responsible for a rise in anti-Semitism
74% of American Jews agreed that “Trump and the Maga movement are a threat to Jews in America"
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Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
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PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
All times UAE (+4 GMT)
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)
Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
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Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
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Source: Emirates