Azkals to face European side Azerbaijan in March friendly

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) has yet to finalize the hiring of the country’s national men’s football team new coach but has accepted the invitation of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) for the two sides to play an international friendly match.

The Azkals will be facing Azerbaijan’s national team on March 5, Saturday, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The friendly is part of the Azkals’ preparation for this year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup in the Maldives.

The Philippine Azkals are currently at 127th in the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) world rankings while Azerbaijan is at 94th place.

The PFF has named former US team captain Tom Dooley as the Azkals’ new coach but the US National Soccer Hall of Famer has yet to sign the contract and oversee the training of the Philippine men’s squad.

The PFF and AFFA are now working to finalize the details of the match including the venue and time of the friendly. Both sides are also in talks on how to televise the game aside from arranging the hotel and other accommodation that will be needed.


The PFF is also getting in touch with the AFC, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and the Fifa and host nation UAE in securing permits for the friendly match.

This will be the first time that the Philippines will play against a European squad since dropping a 1-0 decision against Estonia in Manila in 1997.

"We cannot let pass the invitation of Azerbaijan to a friendly match. It will be good exposure for our national team, and would help our preparations for the AFC Challenge Cup Maldives finals in May 2014." said PFF President Mariano “Nonong” Araneta.

The AFC Challenge Cup is set from May 19 to 30 in Male and Addu City in the Maldives with the winner earning a berth in the AFC Asian Cup in 2015 in Australia.

Afghanistan, Myanmar, Palestine, Laos, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan are the other countries that qualified aside from the Philippines and host the Maldives. The teams will be divided into two groups, where the draw will be held at the Paradise Island Resort on February 12.

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