MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is all set to stage the biggest regional football tournament in Asia – the AFF Suzuki Cup – and contend for the coveted crown with the backing of the home crowd.
The country welcomes the squads of Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia as they join the Philippine Azkals in the Group A hostilities that explode beginning Saturday night at Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan.
This will be the first time the Azkals will make its Suzuki Cup bid in front of home fans.
“We really fought hard to be the host of one of the group stages because for the last three editions, the Philippine had been a semifinalist and we didn’t reach the finals,” Philippine Football Federation general secretary Edwin Gastanes said during yesterday’s PSA Forum.
“We thought maybe, if we become one of the hosts, the opportunity to support the team will be there and there’ll be a higher chance to go to the finals,” he added.
Held every other year, the Suzuki Cup is largely considered Southeast Asia’s version of the World Cup. In 2014, it had a viewership of 620 million.
Gastanes said they expect a big group of supporters from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia to come over for the games, which are slated Nov. 19, 22, and 25.
The 25,000-seater PSS will serve as the primary venue, hosting the first two playing dates and the Philippines-Thailand showdown on the third night. The decades-old Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, will host the Singapore-Indonesia fixture ,which will be held at the same time as the Azkals-War Elephants game over at PSS on Day 3.
“The venues, including the stadium and the pitch, are all ready to go and the hotels are okay. So far so good (in our preparations for the hosting),” said Gastanes.