Minda solons seek P300M soccer venue

MANILA, Philippines - Two Mindanao lawmakers are asking the government to build a 75,000-capacity “world class” football stadium which the Philippine Azkals could call their new home.

Representatives Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City, and his brother Maximo, who represents the party-list group Abante Mindanao, filed Bill 4298, which seeks the appropriation of P300 million for the stadium.

However, they did not propose where it would be located.

The two said the Azkals beat Vietnam in December to enter the semifinals of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup.

“In the semifinals, the Azkals were supposed to play in the Philippines to face Indonesia in a home-and-away series where the winner will play for the championship. However, the AFF deemed that the Azkals’ home field in Panaad, Bacolod City is not up to the federation’s requirements,” they said.

They said the local team was thus forced to play in Indonesia in front of 80,000 Indonesians cheering for their compatriots “in what was supposed to be a home game for the Azkals.”

“The Azkals lost to Indonesia and failed to advance to the championship round. While there is no guarantee that the Azkals would have won had they played in the Philippines, home field advantage would have definitely helped as thousands of Filipinos would be behind our players cheering them on, instead of thousands of Indonesians jeering them,” they added.

“This just underscores the fact that the country needs a bigger and better footfall stadium in order to give our Azkals a home where they can practice and host international tournaments,” they stressed.

They noted that of the five stadiums in the country, Panaad is the biggest with a 20,000 capacity.

In contrast, Indonesia has Bung Karno with a capacity for 100,000, Vietnam has My Dinh with 40,000, Brunei has Sultan Hassal Bolkia with 30,000, Cambodia has the 50,000-capacity National Olympic, Singapore has the Stadium of Singapore with 55,000, and Myanmar has Bogyoke Aung San that could accommodate 40,000 people, the Rodriguez brothers said.

They recalled that when the Azkals faced Mongolia, Panaad overflowed with fans and that thousands had to be turned away for lack of space.