There Will Always be Critics

After two international football friendlies, the Philippine Azkals have shown to the country and the world that our football program has gained ground.   Painfully and slowly, our senior and Under-23 national football teams are showing strong signs of finally being at par with the best of Asia’s football powers.

The football associations, corporate and individual sponsors, and just maybe PSC or POC, are the generic backers of the team and without their much needed logistical might, the Azkals won’t have in their pack the Burkeys, Younghusbands, Jonssons, Geirs, Etheridges, De Jongs, Guirados, Greatwiches, Shrocks and their likes. Athletes who could have chosen to be indifferent but opted to honor the birthplace of their mothers by playing for flag and country.

Names not even in the remotest possibility of being considered as Azkal, if we go by the strict definition of the term. See them play and the guys with the high pedigree becomes an asong-kalye. They can be mean, fiery and feisty, blending well with their locally-bred and experienced packmates.

Military men and local stars Chieffy Caligdong and Ian Araneta have played and served the country well, likewise skipper Aly Borromeo and original team heartthrob Anton del Rosario. These guys have a few more good playing years left and the introduction of foreign-based talents to the team with exceptional football backgrounds assures our local standouts that when they finally ride out into the sunset, the team that they had learned to love and be proud of will be left in good and capable hands. Or feet, for this matter.

Ah, yes, the fans. The men and women in blue and white. Some go to the extreme and paint their faces and bodies in team colors, with matching red or blue hair. The avid and the moneyed travel with the team, be it international or local, and be instant cheerleaders on the stands.

Oh sure, these guys are rabid. They almost froth in the mouth shouting encouragements to the 11 guys in blue chasing and kicking around a lone ball. So what if it rains? Getting drenched to the bone fuels the throat-damaging exercise. They consume bags full of Valda and Strepsils after each game and bombard Facebook with tons of photos, comments and game recaps.

They don’t care about these minor miseries, rather, they find fulfillment in giving encouragement and support to the guys on the pitch doing the dirty work, reciprocating in return, with chest-thumping performances for the people doing the shouting at the stands.

Michael Weiss, his team of coaches, Dan Palami and his wisdom and generosity. These guys spent time, effort, resources. They have endured heartaches and frustrations.   Still they believed in our boys and they continue to do so.   Bless you, guys.

Here’s the sad part. Crabbing season is alive and well in the islands and our Azkals, as well as the Gilas have their share of this despicable crab mentality. Every performance, either win or lose always merit reactions and the naysayers are always nasty.   They question the composition of the teams, why there are “half-breed” and mestizos when there are local talents to be tapped.

They compare and question these overseas-based athletes as to their commitment, willingness and love of country and to some ridiculous extent have the honorable congressman from Sarangani as their gauge.   Hello..? The PacMan is a prize fighter and he fights for an enormously obscene amount of money, enough to buy his way to the vice presidency of whatever.   He can afford to have a facial rearrangement knowing that he will get his millions after the fight. Football? Basketball? These are team sports and as long as the recruitment process are legitimate, whether the athletes are foreign or domestic, performances will always be a collective effort.

To think that some of these people are even privileged to air their rants on national coverage, preach negativity and look down on the teams’ achievements is borderline treachery. If they’re so “concerned”, why won’t they share their insights and inputs instead of throwing verbal jabs to people who risk serious physical injuries just to play and entertain their countrymen carrying their country’s colors, without the prospect of a huge payday after each game.

Let us give moral support and encouragement to every Filipino athlete and their coaches, no matter what sport, knowing fully well that they are also sacrificing a lot just to bring honor and pride to this wang-wang deprived but bang-bang obsessed, wang-bang republic. Cut the ranting and whining, and if you can’t, pack your bags and swear allegiance to Somalia.

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Heard about the Malditas? They are our women’s national football team and they leave today for Laos to compete in the AFF Women’s Football Championships. Best of luck, Malditas.!

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