Thai side here; PFF monitors ‘Hagupit’

MANILA, Philippines - The game is still a go but the Philippine Football Federation is closely monitoring the movement of typhoon Hagupit (Ruby), which is expected to make landfall on Saturday, the night the Azkals are playing Thailand at Rizal Memorial Stadium in the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup semifinals.

The War Elephants arrived the other night, giving them two days to prepare for the match. Close to 30 media people from Thailand were scheduled to arrive to cover the event.

“We will always look for the welfare of the fans and the players so we are regularly tracking the typhoon and monitoring advisories from the Pagasa (Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration),” said PFF general secretary Edwin Gastanes.

Per Pagasa, Hagupit could take the west- north-west route, which could spare Metro Manila. Or it could go the same route as Yolanda’s last year, hitting the capital head-on before tearing through Central Visayas.

“We’re tracking it and we’re preparing for any contingency. But so far it’s not slicing the country,” said Gastanes.

“If it makes landfall on Saturday with 54 kph, it won’t affect us. As of this morning, it’s quite far from Metro Manila. If it continues this way, it won’t affect the game,” he added.

Weather-permitting, the Azkals look to end a 14-game losing streak to the Thai War Elephants at 8 p.m. Saturday and get a good result before heading to Bangkok for the second leg.

“We advise the fans in case it rains during the match, it’s better to bring raincoats, umbrellas may obstruct the view of other spectators),” Gastanes said.