New contract with Azkals� coach still up in the air

By Cedelf P. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines�The fate of English coach Simon McMenemy remains hanging even as national football team manager Dan Palami is meeting with officials of the German Football Association (DFB) in Frankfurt for a possible assistance package for the Philippine team.

McMenemy, who has received offers to coach a club team in Vietnam and in Indonesia, reiterated his desire for another tour of duty with the Azkals, who made a surprising run to the semifinals of the recent Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup.

�I want to stay where I am because I feel like the job is only half done,� McMenemy told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Although the Azkals beat Vietnam, 2-0, to all but seal their place in the semifinals, they failed to score in their last three matches, including in the two-leg semifinals against Indonesia in Jakarta.

Palami expressed hope that sports fans and observers would respect whatever decision they would make on the coaching of the team.

�We are only after what we feel is best for the team and I hope the fans will understand that,� said Palami, who bankrolled the squad and also paid for McMenemy�s wages.

The possible grant package from the DFB could include a German coach who would be assigned to handle the Azkals, Palami said.

�I think we should consider the offer if there�s an offer,� he added.

McMenemy applied for the Philippine coaching job last year to replace compatriot Des Bulpin, who started preparing the Azkals in December 2009 before leaving the squad in the middle of 2010.

But McMenemy lacks the license required for him to coach in the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup next month.

Palami said he has already talked to a coaching candidate in German Karsten Neitzel, who worked as the assistant coach with the Urawa Reds in the Japan League, and would meet with two more prospects Thursday.

The 43-year-old Neitzel, a defensive midfielder who played in the Bundesliga (German first division), also coached Freiburg in the German second division from 1999 to 2008.

Palami said he was able to meet several Europe-based players with Filipino lineage interested in joining the Azkals.

But Palami said the players needed to prove their worth to claim a spot in the roster.

Among those who expressed desire to join the team is Dennis Cagara, who was represented by Jerry Lucena, a veteran midfielder playing in the Danish League.

The 25-year-old Cagara, born to a Filipino father and a Danish mother, plays leftback for AGF Aarhus. He has played for Denmark�s Under-21 side.

�We have several talented players ready and seriously raring to be an Azkal,� Palami said. �Some flew in from Denmark, the rest drove several hundreds of kilometers, and the rest took more than an hour of train ride just to meet with me and express their intention to play. I told most of them to go to Manila and be tested if they indeed have the Azkal bite.�

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