MALE, MALDIVES // There are many aspects to building a tournament-winning side in international football – talent, coaching, execution and good fortune, among others.
If the Philippines beat Palestine in Friday’s AFC Challenge Cup final and win their first major international tournament, they also may be able to cite a mother’s touch among the influences that helped put them over the top.
Throughout the tournament, several Azkals players have credited the insistence of their mothers with convincing them to explore their options with the Philippines. Without their nudging – gentle or otherwise – the team might not be 90 minutes from securing their first berth in the Asian Cup.
Rob Gier, the Philippines captain, said looking to Southeast Asia had not crossed his mind before joining the Azkals for Challenge Cup qualifying in 2009.
“I was a pro in the UK for 10 or 12 years. My mom’s Filipina and she kept pestering me to see what opportunities there were,” he said. “I didn’t know if there was a team, and then one day I sent my CV to the PFF [Philippines Football Federation] to see what the situation was.
“I didn’t hear anything for six months, and then all of a sudden I got a phone call out of the blue from the president at the time, asking me if I’d like to participate in a tournament in the Maldives representing the national team.”
The Philippines face Palestine at 8pm UAE time at National Stadium in Male. The winner goes into Group D of the 2015 Asian Cup with Iraq, Jordan and defending champions Japan. In Thursday’s third-place match at National Stadium, Afghanistan and the Maldives played to a 1-1 draw and then the Maldives won 8-7 on penalty kicks to take third place.
Chris Greatwich, who scored the winning goal in the 3-2 semi-final defeat of the Maldives on Tuesday, said his mother did some advance scouting for him ahead of his national-team debut at the 2004 Tiger Cup, as the Southeast Asian regional championship was then known.
“It was a bit of a random conversation through someone we knew online. They sent us an e-mail and had a loose affiliation with the PFF at the time. That’s how we got put in touch with the head coach,” he said. “Then my mother visited the Philippines and met with the PFF president and it went from there.”
That e-mail has paid off many times over for the Philippines. In addition to his heroics in the Maldives, Greatwich scored a 93rd-minute winner against Singapore and the opener in a 2-0 defeat of co-hosts Vietnam at the 2010 Suzuki Cup, the new name of Southeast Asia’s regional championship.
Reaching the semi-finals of that tournament was the opening act of the Philippines’ four-year rise to prominence. They made the semi-finals of the 2012 Challenge Cup, finishing third after beating Palestine 4-3 in Kathmandu, and returned to the last four of the Suzuki Cup later that year before bowing out 1-0 to eventual champions Singapore.
“I’ve been really fortunate to score a number of goals that have catapulted football into the minds of the Filipino public,” Greatwich said. “It’s just a knack I have, and I’ve always considered myself a goal-scoring midfielder. I’m just pleased to get goals that will hopefully propel us to the Asian Cup in Australia next year.”
Like Greatwich and Gier, there was a maternal influence behind goalkeeper Neil Etheridge choosing to play for the Philippines after representing England at the youth level. He said it stemmed from being part of the Chelsea youth set-up alongside brothers Phil and James Younghusband.
“They were slightly older than I was, but our mums knew each other. They wanted me to come out a little earlier than I did,” Etheridge said. “Eventually the president of the federation called me, but I still said no. At the time, I was playing for the England Under-16s.
“I eventually made my decision at 18 years old to play for the national team and I never looked back. I’m very happy with the decision I made. It’s been a great life experience, seeing countries I never would’ve seen before and meeting friends and people I’d never met before. I never look back and regret it because it’s been a great experience for me.”
Etheridge gave the Philippines a boost on Thursday, returning to training after missing most of the tournament with a thigh injury. Stephan Schrock, who came off the bench against the Maldives after struggling with a hamstring complaint, was also in full training.
Standing between the Philippines and the Asian Cup are Palestine, who have the only defence yet to be breached in the Challenge Cup. They needed just three goals to win Group A and saw off Afghanistan 2-0 in the semi-finals. Ashraf Al Fawaghra leads the side with three goals while Abdelhamid Abuhabib has the other two.
Their success is built around their spine, with goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh backstopping the imposing centre-backs Omar Jaaron and Abdallatif Al Bahdari while midfielder Murad Said provides protection in front of the back four.
Even so, the Philippines find themselves in the somewhat novel position of being favourites to win a tournament. Greatwich said the change in expectations was drastic from when he joined the Azkals but still one the players embraced.
“When I first started, we were lucky to get a small column in the back pages of a newspaper back home,” he said. “Following 2010, the expectation of the public has been huge. Going into this tournament, this is the first one we’ve really gone in as the favourites, and the public have been expecting us to push on and win this tournament.
“The pressure is on, and this is the first tournament we’ve had that to experience and had to deal with that. I think the boys have handled it really well, especially being fuel for us to keep us focused and propel us to this final.”
pfreelend@thenational.ae
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