Out of proportion

Three-time former national football coach Juan Cutillas says it’s an unnecessary distraction to drag the Azkals into the muck of intrigue because of unruly behavior in the lockerroom and is convinced there was no malice in being insensitive to Asian Football Confederation match commissioner Cristy Ramos’ presence during a recent dugout inspection.

“I’m 100 percent convinced there was no sexual harassment,” says Cutillas, now 71 and one of four Spanish players brought in by Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation president Felipe Monserrat to upgrade the standards of local football in 1963. “Unfortunately, this has been blown out of proportion. But let’s set the record straight. I think there is always room for constructive criticism for as long as we can all learn from our mistakes. We cannot praise the Azkals all the time. Of course, we applaud them for doing a good job but when they’re not doing well, we should also criticize them. It’s a free country and we should be allowed to express our opinion. For instance, our recent performance in the under-23 and under-21 levels has been a disaster because of lack of preparation. This should be pointed out so we can do something positive about it.”

Cutillas notes that the lockerroom incident could’ve been averted if team manager Dan Palami or coach Michael Weiss accompanied Ramos for the traditional inspection. “In my own experience in football, the coach or manager or both is with the match commissioner to make sure everything is in order, that the players are dressed properly, that the numbers of the players in the roster are the same numbers on their uniforms and all that,” he says. “I’m sure if either Dan or Michael accompanied Cristy, there wouldn’t have been a problem.”

Cutillas, who has coached Division I club football in Australia, says the match commissioner’s inspection is announced to the players before he or she enters the lockerroom. “I support the Azkals 100 percent and I really think they’ve done a lot to promote the sport in the Philippines,” he says. “In that incident involving Cristy, I think there was no sexual harassment but insensitivity to her presence. I know Cristy, she’s a dear friend. The incident could’ve been avoided. It’s the obligation of the coach or manager to be in the dressing room when the match commissioner makes the inspection. For sure, this was a lesson we can learn from.”

Cutillas says without a doubt, the Azkals would’ve made it to the recent AFC Challenge Cup finals against North Korea if only Angel Guirado and James Younghusband played in the semifinals. “We lost in the semifinals to Turkmenistan by 2-1 without Angel and James,” he continues. “From reports, I understand we blamed our backline and midfield for the two goals by Turkmenistan. I don’t agree. The first goal was under 30 yards and we did our best to stop the ball from advancing. The second goal was masterful. Turkmenistan dribbled past two defenders so it wasn’t an easy shot. Those goals weren’t by chance. They were beautiful goals. We knew it would be difficult to win without Angel and James but we fought well. Losing is part of the game. We learn from it.”

Cutillas says in future matches, he’d like to see the Azkals develop a short game. “We like to play long balls now and I understand why,” he adds. “We take advantage of our height and physicality in set pieces. Of course, we play to our strengths. At our level of competition, this is fine but as we play bigger and tougher opponents, we have to adjust. There is still a lot to improve on in technique and skill.”

Losing to Turkmenistan was a huge disappointment even as the Azkals weren’t favored to win. The Azkals held a 1-0 lead from the 25th minute to the 80th. Within six minutes, the Turkmen booted in two goals to crush the Azkals’ hopes of a historic advance to the finals. Still, making it to the semifinals was unprecedented for the Azkals but a finals finish would’ve been so sweet.

In the playoff for third against Palestine, the Azkals were without goalkeeper Neil Etheridge who sat out a game suspension. The Azkals broke through with a 4-3 victory and were never headed. The Azkals made it 2-1 four minutes after Palestine equalized and 4-2 two minutes after another Palestine goal. In the finals, defending champion North Korea repulsed Turkmenistan, 2-1. The Azkals dropped a 2-0 decision to North Korea in the eliminations and were robbed by Turkmenistan of a chance to avenge the loss.

“We would’ve had a good chance against North Korea if we made it to the finals,” says Cutillas who resettled in Manila with his Filipina wife Tessy Sanchez in 2007. “Even in our first game against North Korea, we were competitive. As we play more games, we get better because the players become more familiar with each other, more used to Michael’s system. We would’ve been the underdogs if we reached the finals but I think we could’ve made a very big surprise.”

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Powerade center Alex Crisano underwent a 20-minute outpatient surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City last Wednesday. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. George Canlas performed the operation and said Crisano will be back to play “hopefully, in four months.”

Tigers coach Bo Perasol said Crisano ruptured his right Achilles tendon during a PBA Commissioner’s Cup game against Air21 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday. Crisano had his most productive outing this conference, compiling three points on a triple, three rebounds and two assists in only eight minutes. He went 1-of-2 from three-point distance and collected two fouls with no turnover. Powerade won, 121-92.

“When Alex challenged a jumpshot in the game, he felt a pop as soon as he landed,” said Perasol. At first, nobody believed Crisano was badly hurt because of his long history of being a jokester – until his right ankle began to swell and he couldn’t walk. The day after surgery, Crisano said he was just resting at home on “healing time.”