The Philippine Azkals will be playing a special charity match against third division Spanish football club CF Internacional de Madrid (CFIM) on Saturday (Jan 7), 4 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium for the benefit of typhoon Sendong victims.
The event, named "Dili Kamo Nag-iisa," will also feature a celebrity football challenge.
Azkals players James Younghusband, Phil Younghusband, Ian Araneta, Angel Guirado and co-captain Chieffy Caligdong, among others, will join forces with members of the United Football League (Philippines) to form the selection squad Ázkals Alyansa.
Third-division Spanish football club Internacional de Madrid (CFIM) will take their exhibition match against the "Azkals Alyansa" seriously, despite it being a charity game for the benefit of the victims of Tropical Storm Sendong.
Sendong lashed Northern Mindanao a week before Christmas, leaving over 1,200 dead in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City, with thousands more homeless.
CFIM chairman Stephen Newman said the full CFIM squad will be present for the game against "Azkals Alyansa," and that they are preparing for "a fairly close game."
"We're not going to be playing as if it's just an exhibition game," he said. "We're coming over here to give everybody a good game of football."
"I know some of the football players, and particularly, I think we'll be watching out for the Younghusband brothers (James and Phil). I think not only are they good football players, but they seem to have a clear understanding of where they both are in the ground," Newman said. He also mentioned homegrown players Chieffy Caligdong and Ian Araneta as potential impact players for the Azkals Alyansa, along with Fil-Spanish Angel Guirado.
"I particularly like Chieffy, I think he's very, very good, very fast on the left wing, and I was particularly impressed by Ian Araneta when I saw the (UFL game) between the Air Force and Global," Newman said.
Newman said his squad is also highly motivated to perform well, as CFIM has received "a lot of interest from the Spanish football press" because of their charity match. "We want not only to give the Filipino public a great game to see, but we want the people back home to see how well we can play overseas," he said.
"In the light of the new circumstances, it's no longer only a sports event that we would welcome; it's also an event to contribute to the humanitarian assistance for the victims of Sendong," Molina said.
"We think this (charity match) could plant the seed of cooperation and support, which is good if soccer gains momentum and interest and more fans in the Philippines," she added.
Before the match, fans will be treated to a celebrity football challenge, which will kick off at 2 p.m. Kapamilya stars, meanwhile, will lead a telethon to receive donations and pledges for Sagip Kapamilya between 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Ticket sales and other proceeds from the game will be donated to the Philippine National Red Cross to benefit victims of Typhoon Sendong. Tickets to the match are at P100, P200, P300, P400 and P500 and are sold at Ticketworld outlets.
Catch the special charity match between the Azkals Alyansa and the CF Internacional Madrid on Studio 23 this Saturday (Jan 7), 4 p.m. Viewers abroad will be able to catch the excitement via ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Bro channel and IPTV.
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