SEAG ‘mistakenly’ includes Azkals

MANILA, Philippines - Are the Azkals U-23 competing in the Southeast Asian Games or not?

Confusion arose on the status of the U-23 football team in the Myanmar SEAG as organizers still included Phl in yesterday’s official draw despite the Philippine Olympic Committee’s decision not to enter the side.

Azkals U-23 were drawn with two-time defending champion Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, and Laos in a ceremony in Naypyitaw, their inclusion apparently a result of a communication snafu between the POC and the SEAG organizers.

“They included the Phl. I think they have not been informed by POC that we have not been given accreditation,” said Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta.

Chef de mission Jeff Tamayo blamed the backlog of pending documents that needed action and slow communication on the part of the hosts.

“We’re not sending a (men’s football) team. We’ve already written them about this plus other concerns like visa processing. Maybe the papers are just piled up and they got confused,” Tamayo said.