Philippines, Nepal eye prep for bigger events in friendly

(Left to Right): Philippines player Philip Younghusband, Philippines coach Thomas Dooley, Al Ahli director of Sport Marketing, Yaqoub Nasser, Philippines ambassador Crescente Relacion, Nepal head coach Raju Kaji Shakya and a Nepal player at the pre-match press conference held at the Al Bidda Tower yesterday. Picture: Othman IraqiBy Joe Koraith/DohaThere are around 200,000 Filipinos working in Qatar and around 400,000 Nepalis. And both countries are crazy about sport. So expect some vociferous cheering from a packed house when the national football teams from Philippines and Nepal face each other in a friendly match tomorrow at the Al Ahli Stadium.And though it is a friendly both teams are taking it very seriously, keen to use the experience to hone the players for upcoming major tournaments. For the Philippines team, also called as the Azkals, it is the AFC Challenge Cup in May this year and for Nepal it is the 2015 SAFF championship. This will be the second time that these two will be facing each other with the first meeting ending in a 4-0 win for the Azkals at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in October 2011.But since then there have been many changes to the Azkals, chief among them being the appointment of a new coach - Thomas Dooley. The former USA captain has only taken charge in February this year and is keen to use this friendly as a testing ground for the upcoming AFC Challenge Cup. “The most important for us is the preparation for the Challenge Cup in May. It’s a new team and as a coach I haven’t had a lot of time to work on them. Everything we are doing right now is testing for the Challenge Cup,” said Dooley at the pre-match press conference yesterday.“We are trying to create a style of play and develop the skills of the team. This game will give players a chance to deal with the pressure. But I would like to think of it as positive pressure and I am looking forward to the game,” added Dooley.‘Keep the ball’Having had a few training sessions with the team, Dooley said the initial matches his focus was on getting the players to subscribe to his style of football. “We focussed on the style initially, keeping the ball more and now we are looking to get the wins under the belt. We are taking this match seriously. We are missing a few international players due to injury and so this is a good chance for the bench to put up their hands,” added the former USA midfielder.For Nepal, this will be a chance to avenge their loss as well as prepare for the 2015 SAFF Championship. “Our main aim is to prepare well for the 2015 SAFF championships. This makes the result very important though it is just a friendly. We have recently played against Yemen and this match against Philippines will be good preparation for the players,” said Nepal head coach, Raju Kaji Shakya.This friendly match will be a great chance for fans of both sides to see their players in action and Qatar Stars League Deputy CEO, Hani Balan, lauded the Al Ahli club for taking the initiative. “This is community engagement and an excellent example of Al Ahli going that extra mile for its fans. The club has taken the initiative to work very closely with communities and to be a hub for all communities by making the facilities and activities available to all. This is the first time that a club has organized two national teams to play an international friendly and we are happy to support this initiative,” said Balan at the press conference yesterday..“The main purpose is for the communities to get together and for everyone in Qatar to enjoy and have the opportunity to experience how football is played in this country. And to showcase how the clubs are focussed and have the ability to arrange important events,” Balan added.Philippines ambassador Crescente Relacion said the event was a showcase of engagement between the expats and the football clubs in Qatar. “Filipinos were not particularly fond of football a few years ago. But with the formation of the Philippines Azkals, the minds were rekindled and interest for football was generated. Maybe because the Azkals are composed of good looking players but they play well too,” said Relacion with a smile. “This event a showcase of engagement between expats and the football clubs in Qatar. We would like to thank the Al Ahli club for making this event free of charge for all those who want to watch,” he added.Yaqoub Nasser, director of Sport Marketing at the Al Ahli club said it was an ongoing effort to have more activities involving different communities. “We are working hard to make Qatar a beacon for football, including the league and clubs, to give an opportunity for all communities to participate,” said Nasser.“I would like to offer special thanks to the Filipinos and Nepal community. They have attended many of our club games and our players are very excited to play when these communities attend the matches,” he added.