Report: Azkals U-21 to skip 2015 SEA Games

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Azkals Under-21 team won’t take part in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore, a football website reported Wednesday.

According to Ahmad Khan of goal.com, the Azkals will be skipping the biennial meet to instead focus on a build-up to the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia.

Australian coach Jim Fraser will handle the Under-21 squad and help gear them up for Malaysia in 2017, wherein they would have reached the age limit of 23.

Philippine Football Federation president Nonong Araneta said the decision to skip the 2015 SEA Games is due to the team being forced to do the same in last year’s edition of the games in Myanmar.

“We won’t be sending a team [to Singapore] because the same officials who did not want us to go in the [2013] SEAGames will still be there in 2015,” Araneta said.

Goal.com added that the team is bound for Brunei this August to take part in the Bolkiah Trophy.