PFF Suzuki Cup U-23 stars to form core of SEAG team

Celest R. Flores


MANILA---National team manager Dan Palami is optimistic that the ongoing PFF Suzuki Cup Under-23 national championship will discover untapped talents for the Southeast Asian Games.

�The lack of available talent locally is one of the problems we�re trying to address,� said Palami.

With the sport�s popularity reaching an all-time high in the wake of the performance of the national squad known as the Azkals, the support and interest for football�even on the grassroots level�also leapfrogged.

�If they know something is happening, they will get interested in the game,� added Palami during the Southern Luzon clusters kickoff at UP-Los Ba�os recently.

The composition of the SEA Games� under-23 squad will be selected from the winners of the PFF Suzuki Cup, but PFF president Mariano �Nonong� Araneta said that a number of foreign-based Filipinos have expressed interest in joining the squad.

�But we have to look at the local players, then the foreigners later on, to make a good selection for our U-23 team,� said Araneta.

For Azkals head coach Hans Michael Weiss, quality is top priority in the search for a player.

�Anyone who can prove himself has a chance to try out,� said Weiss.


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