The draw in the second round of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024 Asian Qualifiers has been made.
The Filipinas are in Group A with Australia, Chinese Taipei and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Australia will host the second round of qualifiers in Group A.
China, Korea Republic (South Korea), Thailand and DPR Korea are in Group B with China as host. Uzbekistan will host Group C which also includes Japan, Vietnam and India.
The Philippines blitzed its way during the first round, notching impressive wins over Hong Kong, 4-0; Pakistan, 4-0; and Tajikistan, 8-0. The second round will be a different story now that the Filipinas have to hurdle bigger and stronger teams. Chinese Taipei topped Group F while Iran won Group B during the opening round. Host Australia is among the top 5 seeded teams in the qualifiers.
Despite failing to advance from the group stage in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, the Filipinas are expected to put the result behind them and prepare for Australia, Chinese Taipei and Iran. Lessons were definitely learned in Phnom Penh and Coach Alen Stajcic will make the necessary adjustments as the Filipinas embark on the next tournament.
Four teams, the group winners and the best second placer, will advance to the third round. These teams will play in a pair of home and away matches with the winners advancing to the tournament proper of the Paris Olympic Games next year.
Speaking of the Filipinas, their kits for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup this year were unveiled recently.
The kits, sponsored by adidas, were met with mixed reactions and reviews. Some were positive and there were not so nice comments, too. I believe, however, that no matter what kind of kits our national team wears in the World Cup, it is not that important. What matters most is the player who wears the country’s flag and colors. I hope that when the team plays in New Zealand, the Filipinas will give their minds and hearts out for the county.
Bonus na lang ang uniform.
The Football Association of Thailand has apologized for the ugly and embarrassing conclusion of the men’s football finals of the Cambodia SEA Games. The Thai national team figured in a free-for-all against Indonesia in the battle for gold.
In a statement, the FAT vowed to investigate what really happened and who was responsible for the incident. It also vowed heavy punishment to those who caused the unruly incident that put Thailand in a very bad light.
For context, Indonesia beat Thailand, 5-2, in the finals, which was marred by a fight between the two teams. The brawl erupted after Indonesia went up 3-2 in the tightly contested finals. Punches were thrown between the two teams. A total of seven red cards were handed out during the game. A dubious SEA Games record to say the least. Indonesia scored two more goals later in the game to beat Thailand.
Fortunately, the county’s basketball fans are not doing any act of violence soon after Gilas Pilipinas regained the basketball gold in the biennial event. Gilas exacted revenge over host Cambodia, 80-69, in the finals to reclaim the basketball throne it lost to Indonesia in the previous SEA Games. Moreover, the team’s victory calmed the nation after it lost to the host in their initial encounter, 79-68.
Justin Brownlee scored 23 to help deliver the most important gold in the country’s campaign in Phnom Penh.
The Philippines finished fifth in the overall standings with 58 gold, 86 silver and 116 bronze medals behind Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and host Cambodia.
A lot was said when the Philippines lost the first game against Cambodia. Things like about how many “imports” the Cambodian team had, that the basketball court has “linoleum,” it was so hot in the venue, and many more. Heck, much more was said even about the timeout made by the Cambodian coach just seconds left in the game with the game’s outcome no longer in doubt, but only a few on why we lost the game.
Now that we have regained the gold, the lingering questions about the basketball program in the country will be on the backburner for a while. The usual “angas” is expected to be present kasi nanalo nga. Eh sino ba nagpatalo in Hanoi in the first place? The question is what will happen in the country’s campaign in the FIBA World Cup this year? To use the win against Cambodia as a gauge in our preparation for the biggest basketball tournament in the world is both dangerous and downright misleading. We probably need to temper our expectations, despite all the support and the love of millions of Filipinos to the game and to the team, which can’t be said of other national teams, we need more than “puso”, we need more common sense for starters.
For the meantime, let the basketball gods savor the victory in the SEA Games, hanggang dito na lang yata kasi maghahari ang ‘Pinas, but we must never forget to remind them what needs to be done before another potential failure and tons of rehashed excuses unfold in September.
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!
For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat