Manila to host AFF confab

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Football Federation will host the 18th council meeting of the Asean Football Federation scheduled July 17 in one of Metro Manila’s five-star hotels, PFF president Jose Mari Martinez announced recently.

Martinez said the council will try to finalize details of the bi-annual Asean Football Championships, formerly known as the Tiger Cup.

The elimination round will be held in Vientiane, Laos, in September. The Philippine team will vie against Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Timor Leste for two slots in the qualifying rounds to be held in Indonesia and Vietnam in November.

The last time the Philippines qualified for a slot in the elimination round was in 2006 in Bacolod with a team handled by coach Aris Caslib and boosted by Younghusband brothers James and Phil.

The AFF is composed of football federations from 12 countries, which include Australia as a guest member. The 11 regular members are: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.