Azkals to play Hong Kong but nix Kyrgyzstan trip

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Azkals will no longer play Kyrgyzstan following logistical problems encountered by the Philippine Football Federation.

The friendly against Kyrgyzstan, which topped Group B in the recent AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, was scheduled on June 8 or four days after the Azkals play Hong Kong in another exhibition match.

“Due to proximity of travel date, we have difficulty getting connecting flights that are less stressful to the players,” PFF secretary general Atty. Ed Gastanes told Philstar.com. “We are also concerned about players' recovery before the match after several long flights.”

Kyrgyzstan is located in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east. They are currently ranked 143 in the world, just a notch above the Philippines, which is tied with Kazakhstan at 144^th spot in the latest FIFA rankings.

The Azkals-Hong Kong friendly in June 4 will go on as scheduled. Gastanes said that the Hong Football Association has already been selling tickets since last week.

Meanwhile, the Little Azkals (under-14 national football team) have left the country for Myanmar to compete in the inaugural AFC U-14 Championship qualifiers.

The Little Azkals will play Brunei on May 28 followed by host Myanmar the day after and Malaysia on May 31.  They will round up their Group E assignments against Vietnam on June 2 and Timor Leste on June 3.