ALBERT Capellas has been appointed as head coach of the Philippine men’s football team after the sudden departure of Tom Saintfiet days before the Merdeka Cup.
The Spanish coach with a UEFA Pro License was once became part of the FC Barcelona program as B assistant, youth team coordinator, and deputy director of the youth academy for over a decade.
His most recent role was the head coach of the Denmark U21 national team from 2019 to 2021 and club team Midtjylland.
Capellas was already with the PMNT during the Merdeka Cup training camp in Malaysia along with Philippine Football Federation director of national teams Freddy Gonzalez and interim head coach Norman Fegidero.
“I’m very proud to be a part of this journey. For me it’s a fantastic feeling to be here, to help the Federation to go to the next level because that’s what they are looking for,” said Capellas in a statement.
The PFF had to scamper for a replacement after Saintfiet accepted the head coaching duties of Mali with the PMNT days away from competing in the Merdeka Cup where the Philippines lost in penalties to Tajikistan in the battle for third although the match will go down in the FIFA record books as a draw.
“When Freddy asked me to join this project and explained to me what they are working on to make the federation better, and to deliver the best for the players, and how he wanted to approach football for the coming years in the Philippine teams, I was aligned and it piqued my attention,” said Capellas.
“We clicked personally, which is very important for me — that you can be around people that you can work with and you can do your job. That’s why I’m here. I think the aspects we want to develop, we can make them happen,” said Capellas.
The PFF is optimistic about what Capellas can bring to the team with the credentials that included having a hand in the development of world-renowned players such as Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Thiago Alcantara, Pedro, and Lamine Yamal.
Capellas also wants to develop Filipino talents that would be good to play overseas.
“It won’t be easy — nothing in football is — but we can promise that we will do our best. I hope they (the fans) will enjoy the way we want to play, and the way we want to perform.”
“Our vision is built on three values. Honesty - that everything we do in the national team, we can look each other in the eyes all the time. Then it’s about Commitment. Nobody can stay in the national team without commitment to achieve the goals we are looking for. Finally there is Courage, to fight for the aims we want to achieve,” said Capellas.
“We want to achieve a new way of playing, a new way of training and I want to help them to understand better what it means to be a professional. We want to help Filipino players who have the chance to play abroad, that they can find better teams that they can be better prepared to be scouted and have better football careers,” said Capellas.
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