THE Philippine men’s football team will take part in the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup without its top players since the tournament doesn’t fall on a FIFA international window.
Clubs are only required to release their players to the national team during the dates covered by the FIFA window, and the Mitsubishi Electric Cup, the biennial Southeast Asia football tournament, is not part of that calendar.
Non-Fifa window
“Some players were not released by their respective clubs because the tournament falls on a non-FIFA window,” the PMNT’s Facebook page said.
That left the Philippines without some of its marquee players including Gerrit Holtmann, who plays in the German Bundesliga with VfL Bochum.
Kevin Ray Mendoza, who has started between the posts for a couple of matches, will not be with the PMNT as he is with Persib Bandung in Indonesia.
Santi Rublico is part of the team but will only be available if the Philippines reaches the semifinals because of his commitment with third-division Spanish club Collado Villalba.
Goalkeepers Florencio Badelic, Patrick Deyto, Quincy Kammeraad, and Nicholas Guimaraes, defenders Amani Aguinaldo, Michael Kempter, Kike Linares, Joshua Merino, Christian Rontini, Paul Tabinas, and Adrian Ugelvik, midfielders Zico Bailey, Michael Baldisimo, Pocholo Bugas, Oskari Kekkonen, Javier Mariona, Sandro Reyes, and Scott Woods, and forwards Dov Carino, Uriel Dalapo, Jarvey Gayoso, Bjorn Martin Kristensen, Leo Maquiling, Alex Monis, and Patrick Reichelt composed the 26-man team.
The Philippines, coached by Albert Capellas, opens its campaign at home against Myanmar at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on December 12.
PMNT goes up against Laos on December 15 in Vientiane, before returning home for a match against Vietnam on December 18 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Philippines wraps up the group stage on December 21 against Indonesia at the Manahan Stadium in Surakarta.
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