Azkals are Pinoys - period

KATHMANDU – The Azkals insist they are as Filipino as adobo, sinigang or lechon.

“Whether you have 1 percent blood or 99 percent blood or whatever, the blood that flows through homegrown players and players who grew up abroad is just as strong and it’s the same blood – Filipino. And we fight as strong for the Phl flag as everyone does,” said Phil Younghusband, a Britain-raised striker who’s mother was a Filipino.

“It’s always a question how do you define who’s Filipino. At the end of day, you have Fiipino blood, you have Phl passport and you want to represent Phl (in international competitions), then you’re Filipino,” he added.

The Azkals are hurt by insinuations they are foreigners “pretending to be Filipinos” – especially coming from a Filipino like TV host Arnold Clavio. The Philippine Football Federation has filed a complaint with the network against Clavio’s alleged racist, libelous and discriminatory statement.

Mariano Araneta, PFF president, said Clavio’s statements that the Azkals or at least some of them “are not Filipinos” and “are only pretending to be Filipinos” are unacceptable and constitute “reckless disregard” of the truth.

The Azkals are currently embroiled in a sexual harassment controversy involving former Philippine Olympic Committee chief Cristy Ramos, now one of the match commissioners with the Asian Football Federation and FIFA.

The PFF, which also accused Clavio of airing sexist remarks against the Azkals, has demanded from GMA-7 and the hosts a written apology which should also be forthwith read and given prominence” in the said program.

“This question is raised most often when we compete in other countries, it’s quite demoralizing when issues of ethnicity and being true Filipinos are being thrown at us by our own countrymen and somehow it’s a gut-wrenching pain that you get,” said team manager Dan Palami.

The Azkals try to not let themselves get affected by this new controversy.

“I don’t think it deserves comment. We’re here to do a job, a lot of us are here a long time before they even knew our names,” said Fil-British Rob Gier.

Ilonggo Ian Araneta also defended his “brothers” in the team.

“The critics should be happy instead because even if they’re born or raised abroad, they’re true Filipinos and they fight for the Philippines.  I don’t want to mind these kind of things for they may distract us from our training here,” he said in Filipino.