A Saturday Special. Football in the Philippines is really steadily and passionately supported by only a small circle. And as sad as it sounds, it is partly because we have been Americanized so much that we've seemed to have forgotten our roots. But I want all current PH Football fans to know, that we are just as part of the solution as the organization is. And I want Filipinos to know, that there is more to the Azkals than a boring game and a field of half-bloods.
"Ang borning naman niyan. Pa-isa isa lang ang score."
"Di naman mukhang Pinoy yung players eh."
"Mas mukang Pilipino yung mga kalaban."
Familiar lines? Have you ever heard or thought of these little things while talking about football? I've heard my fair share of these and believe me, it was hard to keep cool.
I mean, they are not wrong in the sense that these players look too foreign with their obviously whiter skin, prominent nose, and different accents. Half-blood, Fil-Foreign, those are actually correct descriptions. But to call then "not Filipinos"? It's crossing the line. It might not look like it to you, but these players, these warriors, are trading blood, sweat and tears representing the motherland.
You don't believe me?
These lads gave a lot to represent the flag. One of the most important ones is the fact that once they suit up for the Philippines, they can't represent any other country, ever. This choice is for life. And it isn't like a club where you can just wait until your contract expires then move on. Once you go brown, you'll never go down.
People may argue that they chose the Philippines because they had no choice, or that they're not good enough to play for their other country anyway. Well you're wrong.
Each of the players you see donning our flag is there because they have the potential to be the best. Most of them have even played for the country at a young age. They have been exposed to the football lifestyle that is way larger than life as compared to how Filipinos see athletes. These players are NOT some rejects that their current host country is disposing. They chose us over the larger, better countries who can take real good care of them. They chose the Philippines knowing that they would be mostly unknowns here. They chose the country thinking that our country needs their services more than the other countries they would've been qualified to play for.
Papogi ba? Only playing here for the money?
Are you kidding? The sport is not very known here. How do you expect them to be paid enough with the lack of support that they get from the nation? Lack of support from the average Juan Dela Cruz? They only get paid meager allowances for all their efforts travelling here. They chose national pride over compensation. Something that I'm sure not even "100% Pinoys" would care to do.
As tiring as this argument is, we must face facts. We are in a country where basketball is second to none. And football isn't even in the top 3 yet. No matter how many times we say that our body build is more suited to football, do they ever really listen?
For the football crowd reading this, I know that you might be feeling down or disheartened because of this.
But keep going. We, as a football community, must continue to move forward. The only way that we can get the sport that we love more traction is to keep supporting. It starts with you. Yes, YOU.
We had the opportunity to talk with prominent fans and supporters courtesy of Tito Jay from the #EatSleepBreatheFootball podcast. It was there where we talked about our love and support for Philippine Football and its future.
And one of the key things we spoke about is the question: "How can we, as fans, help spread the love for Philippine football?"
One answer, to me, stood out the most.
Pay it forward.
Most of us were dragged into the football world. And most of us that were, never found any reason to leave. So we should take this as a challenge to do the same.
Invite your kaladkarin friends over to watch with you during game days. Although we still have COVID-19 spreading about, once everything is back to the way it was you owe it to yourself to watch it live. Bring a friend with you when you do.
Give them something to support. Filipinos, though hard to please, are a proud race. And once they see the flag waving as we play, I'm sure that the Fil-Foreign mentality would be forgotten, at least while the game is happening.
Show them how to enjoy football. Tell them why they shouldn't just look for the goals, but the plays. We can rile them up in anticipation of a goal, but never forget to show them the beauty of the game.
They call football boring because they probably didn't give it a chance. They didn't look at it they way it should be looked at. They watched the game with the mentality that it would be like basketball where the score is what excites them.
Although goals are very important, they are not the only reason why we celebrate football. The build ups, the let downs, the almost scored chances, the wild misses, the perfect passes, the most intense of tackles, and many more actions that led to the goal, or to a successful defense, those are what we see whenever we watch football.
Football is the greatest drama on earth. That slogan came from a FIFA video game. And I believe it. Let me give you one of the greatest examples:
A little background: Watford, the team in yellow, just fouled an opposing player in their box. This foul gives the Foxes, the team in blue, a penalty kick. And honestly, penalty kicks are one of the almost sure ways to score a point. But that's the thing, as sure as it seemingly looks like, it almost always never is. Watford cannot concede another goal as doing so would put Leicester City in the Finals (yes, this is just a semi-final game). And since this is already the closing minutes, a goal for Leicester would guarantee that they move on to the finals.
See the game yourself.
How about another game much closer to home?
Asian Cup Qualifiers, 3rd Group Stage. Our Azkals, the Philippines, was fighting with Tajikistan for a spot in the 2019 Asian Cup. If we succeed, this would be the very first time since the Asian Cup started that the Philippines would qualify. But the Tajiks weren't going to give this one to us because they, too, have fought long and hard to get where they are. A the Philippines only needed a draw to guarantee the spot. But a loss would put Tajikistan ahead of us.
Here's how it happened: And pay attention to the Philippine crowd in support.
Football will always be the beautiful game because it is never constant.
I enjoy basketball, too. I know that there's more to it than just the score. There would be a play or two that would etch a memory, but the rest are so easily forgotten.
But that's what makes football different. You can easily forget the movement in basketball because if it doesn't get them a point, it's useless. And those other plays that got you a basket can easily be forgotten, too. Because there's just too many plays that led to a basket. Only a handful of special plays remain engraved in your mind, but let's be honest, it would always ultimately be the score that would tell you who's in control or who's winning.
That's what makes football different. Football is not as simple as who's in the lead. Because it only takes just a moment, just one goal, just one lucky play, just that one single time that the defense lets up, just that one opening to take a shot to change the whole complexion of the game. A strong team could be dominating the number of shots, the possession, the momentum for the whole 90 minutes, only to let them score at the closing moments. And all it took was one goal, one opening, for an underdog team to sweep the rug.
Football isn't just a game. Not for us. It is a way of life.
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