by Joaquin Henson
MANILA, Philippines � Former national football coach Juan Cutillas said yesterday qualifying for the next World Cup is an impossible dream but if the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) lays down the groundwork for a development program with massive support, he estimated it will take 40 to 50 years before making it.
�I don�t want to sound un-nationalistic,� said Cutillas, who has served three terms as national coach in a span of close to 20 years. �But let�s forget about trying to qualify for the World Cup at the moment. It�s totally absurd to even think we have a chance right now. Malaysia and Indonesia can�t even get past the first round of qualifying in Asia. Malaysia is in a bracket with Qatar, Korea and Iran. If we play Korea or Japan, we�ll probably lose by four to seven goals. We don�t even have a facility that meets the standards of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) and AFF (Asean Football Federation).�
But while Cutillas expressed pessimism, he said the PFF should take it as a challenge to start moving forward now, riding the momentum of the Azkals� semifinal success in the recent AFF Suzuki Cup.
�Honestly, I don�t think we can win the Suzuki Cup in eight to 12 years,� said Cutillas. �Football is a religion in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Malaysia can bring in about 100,000 fans in the Commonwealth Stadium. Indonesia�s stadium has a capacity of close to 90,000. The support for football in those countries is almost unlimited. They have a strong local league and don�t rely on overseas players who just come and go.�
Cutillas, 70, said without widespread backing, football won�t progress in the country.
�There must be massive support from government and the private sector,� he said. �Building a competitive national team takes a long time. It requires constant international exposure. It requires a strong local league. When I coached our national team in the Suzuki Cup qualifiers in 2008, our team played only four Fil-foreigners, namely, Neil Etheridge, Jason de Jong, Chris Greatwich and Chad Gould. We beat host Cambodia, 3-2, in front of over 15,000 fans but didn�t advance because of a tiebreak rule. We were tied with Cambodia in total points and goal difference but they scored nine goals compared to our five.�
Even as Cutillas recognized the importance of reinforcing the national squad with Fil-foreigners, he said the priority is to form a pool of local players ready to be called for duty at any time.
�We should get the best 20 to 25 young, strong local players with a good build, put them together, train as a team, provide them with allowances and accommodations and expose them to competitions abroad,� said Cutillas. �We should also build our own facility, a stadium we can be proud of. We should strengthen our local league. We should go to the Visayas where there are a lot of outstanding players and recruit the best prospects. There is so much to be done.�
Cutillas said with unrealistic dreams of qualifying for the World Cup and winning the Suzuki Cup in 2012, the expectations on the Azkals will be unreasonably high. �We can�t afford to be short-sighted,� continued Cutillas. �We need a long-term development program but we need to start now while everyone is excited about football.�
Cutillas said he agreed with PFF technical director Aris Caslib in calling on schools and clubs to release players drafted for the national team. �I think schools and clubs shouldn�t stop their players from playing for the national team,� he said. �It will stunt their growth. We should all be united for the country. Once the school players graduate, where will they go? It is vital to give them options to continue playing in a strong local league. We need to provide incentives and facilities for our players.�
philstar.com
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