i TV Pinoy

Source: Mico Halili, GMA News

-- As a fan, I hate to see the Azkals hit the road to play a "home-game" on foreign soil. It's a cruel way to enjoy the advantage they richly earned. But it isn't time to crucify the scoundrels responsible for the Azkals' ironic banishment just yet. The spotlight is best reserved for men on the pitch. Besides, I don't think it's the worst thing to play the biggest games of their lives away from their biggest enemies here at home: fair-weather friends, grandstanders, posers, leeches.

They come in all shapes and forms. Some are new. Some, especially the most prominent ones, have been stalking this team from the start (I suppose these are the true die-hards). I suspect the ones who profess their undying love for goal-keeper Neil Etheridge on Facebook pose less harm than the ones who profess new-found devotion to football through privilege speeches and photo-opportunities. I don't doubt the sincerity of all who wish to chip in. The Azkals, after all, inspire us to forget about left hooks and slam dunks for a moment and understand what aggregate goals mean. It’s the latest sports "bayanihan" movement.

Look, I am likewise new to the cause. I will never claim otherwise. I only learned how to correctly pronounce and spell McMenemy yesterday. I know the Azkal legend was created back in 2005. I also know the legend has grown a thousand times since. Yet I don't believe everything I hear – who to praise for what, who to blame for which. Neither should you. Politics can make dreamers into cynics. It also pushes recalcitrant crooks to act like renaissance men. It's all smoke and mirrors. I'd rather concentrate on the real deal.

Why should our Azkals set sail into hostile territory anew? Because they're better off focusing on the real deal too. It's not the extra-curricular activities off the pitch that matter. After looking at some of the personalities who are scrambling to join the parade, I'm even more convinced.

I know Bacolod is heart-broken. Panaad devotees deserve to host a Suzuki Cup match and shout themselves hoarse. But I worry about the barong-tagalogs out to steal limelight or steal, period (which they often do). I worry about unreasonable demands for the Azkals' time. I don't worry about the pressure of playing at home and winning for the benefit of a riotous home crowd. They won in Vietnam. They can win in Jakarta too. These Azkals thrive on duress. But not the kind of duress created by individuals who care little about the game and more about the benefits of media exposure.

Maybe I'm unpatriotic since I think the Azkals can adeptly play before 80,000 non-believers. Maybe I'm unpatriotic because I want the best thing that has ever happened to Philippine football to stay as far away from the political circus as possible. Maybe I'm unpatriotic for wanting the Azkals to prove they can win against anyone in this tournament, anytime, anywhere. Maybe I'm being unreasonably unpatriotic because I believe.