Thousands of Filipinos will venture out into the Rizal Memorial Stadium this Saturday. The crowds will come in full regalia, their faces painted blue with all the adornments. Personalities will be mixing it up with ordinary folks who are just as passionate about this sport that has been elevated to a status befitting religion in some parts of the world. The media will be holding a field day as photographers and journalists will snap and capture moments that will find its way to the annals of our sporting history. Chants and cheers will emanate from a spirited group called the Kaholeros and their voices will resonate around the stadium. The march of these collective war cries will surely stir up the spectators and the home team. The Azkals are finally home.
The Azkals, national team of the Philippines, made headlines when they made it to the semifinals of the 2010 Suzuki Cup. The biennial tournament, staged by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), is considered the most important tournament in the region. Scoring an upset over a tested contender in Vietnam, the Philippines suddenly made a blip in the radar of football teams and their devoted fans, particularly in the Southeast Asian region. But as luck would have it, the Azkals went on to lose two games to incendiary Indonesia. It was supposed to be a home and away series, but due to a lack of a venue fit to stage football according to the standards of the organizers, the Azkals were rendered homeless and had to battle it out against the Reds and Whites at their home turf in Jakarta.
It will not be the case now as the Rizal Memorial Stadium has been given the green light to host the historic semifinal home game of the team. The Azkals, squeezing tough and convincing wins over Vietnam (a repeat of their 2010 shocker) and Myanmar, will now be running the field against the Singapore Lions on Philippine soil and glorious grass. Though the Azkals managed to beat the Lions in two friendlies this year, it could still be anybody’s game. No matter what comes out of this semifinal matchup, it just feels good to be home at last.
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