MANILA, Philippines - Global FC relishes its opportunity to make history for Philippine football as it vies for a spot in the 2017 AFC Champions League (ACL).
The UFL titlists will represent the country in the ACL qualifying playoffs, where they are slated to play a home game against S-League side Tampines Rovers in Round 1 on Jan. 24 possibly at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
It will be the first of three KO matches they will have to hurdle to reach the group stage.
If Global prevails over Tampines, it will proceed to another win-or-go-home match in Round 2 against Brisbane Roar in Australia on Jan. 31. A win in Brisbane will set Global up for a duel with Shanghai Shenhua in the playoff round in China with a coveted berth in the group stage on the line.
“Our target is of course, to get to the group stage of the ACL. But realistically, seeing how tough the road is, we’ll be honored to play every game in the KO stage and represent the country in the highest tournament in Asian football,” Global FC team manager and executive vice president Josef Malinay told The STAR.
“This will be historic not only for Global FC but for Philippine football,” Malinay added.
If Global proves successful against Tampines, Brisbane and Shanghai Shenhua, it will advance to Group E alongside direct entrants Kashima Antlers of Japan and Muang Thong United of Thailand, as well as the winner of the East Zone 3.3 playoff.
To gear up for its shot at the ACL, Global FC plans to bring in a new head coach and foreign players to beef up the club that’s bannered by Azkals mainstays Misagh Bahadoran, Amani Aguinaldo and Pika Minegishi.
If unsuccessful in the ACL, though, Global will still figure in international club football as it competes in the second-tier AFC Cup, where it is bracketed with Johor Darul Ta’zim Kedah FA of Malaysia, Magwe FC of Myanmar, and the winner of the playoff between Boeung Ket Angkor of Laos and Lao Toyota of Cambodia, in Group F.