Thursday, March 27, 2008 Coach eyes 4 Fil-foreigners
NATIONAL coach Norman Fegidero is eyeing four Filipino-British nationals to beef up the Philippine team in the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup in Iloilo City this may.
Fegidero, who was named to the post just this year, acknowledged the advantage of the Fil-foreigners’ technical skills compared to local players.
The former coach of West Negros College and former national team player told Pinoysoccer.com that he is eyeing Chris Greatwtich, James Hall, and the Younghusband brothers Phil and James.
“He (Chris) also has a great attitude and (is) an easy person to deal with. If he comes three to two weeks before the tournament and commits until one week after the tourney, then he is welcome,” Fegidero told Pinoysoccer.com.
Fegidero also said that Phil Younghusband, who scored six goals for the Philippines during the Asean Football Federation Qualifying Round in 2006, is set to join the training camp on April 27.
Earlier, Greatwitch, who has been with the team since 2004 when the Philippines scored its first point in the Tiger Cup, expressed his disappointment to Pinoysoccer.com with his non-inclusion with the squad.
However, Fegidero clarified that it was the Philippine Football Federation and not him, who was negotiating with the Fil-Foreigners.
The Philippines will play Tajikistan, Bhutan and Brunei Darussalam in the Challenge Cup, a tournament for the lower-ranked countries in Asia.
The AFC Challenge Cup is the third international tournament hosted by the country since 2005. The first was the Southeast Asian Games in 2005 and the AFF Qualifiers in 2006, both in Bacolod.
The Challege Cup was supposed to be in Bacolod but a disagreement between the PFF and the Bacolod FA forced the transfer to Iloilo. (ML)
