MANILA, Philippines � The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) has formally accepted the offer of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to host the �home� game of the Philippines against Indonesia in the Vietnamese seaport city of Ho Chi Minh on December 16.
�We have notified the Asean Football Federation (AFF) that the Philippines has accepted the offer of the Vietnam Football Federation as the venue of our �home� game against Indonesia,� PFF president Mariano Araneta announced Friday.
�We also notified the VFF before hand that we are graciously accepting its offer to host this match at a neutral venue,� said Araneta, who added that the federation was now awaiting the AFF�s reply as of posting time.
�They (the AFF) are now taking up the issue even as we speak,� he said.
Araneta said that the decision to agree to Ho Chi Minh as the �home� venue was done in consultation with national men�s team manager Dan Palami, who announced the offer Wednesday night at a press briefing shortly after the squad arrived from the airport.
�VFF President Nguyen Trong Hy flew all the way to Hanoi before we left to inform us that Ho Chi Minh is available for our �home� game against Indonesia,� Palami.
�The VFF offer was very generous,� said Palami, who disclosed that the VFF agreed to pay for in the air fare, hotel and all the other needs of the entire contingent during their 3-day stay in the city formerly known as Saigon.
Palami said he was pleasantly surprised by the VFF chief�s proposal, considering the Filipinos had upset the Vietnamese, the reigning champions, 2-0, in the just-concluded Group B tournament held in the Hanoi,
Despite the loss, Vietnam still emerged Group B champion after eliminating Singapore, 1-0, while the Philippines took second place, as both squads advanced to what were supposed to be home-and-away semifinals.
But the AFF said on Thursday that the Philippines would not be able �to play a leg of their semi-final or subsequent final at a home venue due to no available stadia in the country meeting the requirements for the AFF Suzuki Cup.�
The decision was done �after careful consideration and talks with the relevant parties,� the AFF said.
The AFF then posted the venues of the Indon-RP match on the official Suzuki website that same day where, announcing that the semi-final matches would be played in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
�We are hopeful that the AFF will accept our proposal to have Ho Chi Minh as the neutral venue,� Araneta said.
Simon McMenemy, the Philippine team�s British coach, on Wednesday said that not having to play in the country was �massive disappointment for both myself and the boys who worked so hard so they could play in front of their countrymen.�
�It�s painful and heart-breaking that we won�t be able to in front of Filipinos,� said McMenemy, citing the match�s importance not only for the team but also for the sport in the country as well.
�What a huge impact it would have been for Philippine football had we played here,� said Filipino-British striker Phil Younghusband.
�Marinig mo lang ang mga kapwa mo Pilipino na sumisigaw para 'yo, nakakaalis na ng pagod,� said veteran booter Ian Araneta of the lost opportunity to see action in front of hometown fans.
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