Post by rpbenchwarmer on Jun 27, 2011 17:09:40 GMT 8
For love of the game
Philippine National Football Team manager Dan Palami
By RONALD S. LIM and JASER A. MARASIGAN
June 26, 2011, 8:00am
MANILA, Philippines — In a country where basketball is king, Dan Palami has done the seemingly impossible. He has Filipinos talking about an entirely different sport — and he has them talking about football, of all things!
It's not like the country has no football pedigree to speak of. FC Barcelona, one of the world's best football teams, still ranks as its highest scorer Paulino Alcantara, a Filipino-Spanish mestizo who scored 357 goals in 357 matches he played for the football club. The country is also the birthplace of the Asian Football Confederation. Way back in 1917, the Philippine National Football Team demolished Japan with a 15-2 victory.
But after the country's basketball teams turned professional in 1974, football was slowly relegated to the background. Rather than be known as a powerhouse, the Philippine National Football Team has become better known as the whipping boy of Southeast Asian football, suffering such crushing defeats like the 13-1 loss to Indonesia in the 2002 AFF Suzuki Cup.
Perhaps that is why the amazing turnaround of the Azkals — the moniker given by fans to the Philippine National Football Team — under Palami's management has been the subject of such breathless media coverage. From being barely a bleep on the local sports pages, the Azkals now merit space on the front page of local broadsheets and even on the website of FIFA, the international body that governs football.
In fact, the Azkals are now set to battle Sri Lanka on Wednesday, June 29, and on Sunday, July 3, for a chance to play in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The last time the team tried to qualify for the World Cup was in 2002.
Palami, however, isn't one to hog the spotlight, pointing out that football is bigger that the personalities behind it.
“Football will survive and will be there even after the Younghusbands are gone, the Borromeos, the Etheridges, or Dan Palami. What we could do is to make sure that there is enough momentum to keep this going even if other managers take over,” he says.
It's ironic that as successful as the Azkals have been under his watch, Palami would not have taken up the job if he had actually sat down and thought about the job that lay ahead of him.
“If I really thought about it, I would have declined. I knew it was going to be difficult,” he says with a laugh. “There was really nowhere to go but up from that time, and now we realize that we can go this high.”
Scaling the heights they are now enjoying required some overhauling of the way the team was being run. Palami made sure that the Azkals had enough practice before a game and made sure that the team shared his winning vision.
“It wasn't enough to just have a plan. I bonded with them and I really wanted to make sure that the players believed that we actually can, and that there is potential for us,” he shares.
In this 60 Minutes conversation, Dan Palami talks about his dream for the development of the sport here in the country, as well as the chances that the team has in the eagerly awaited clash with Sri Lanka later this week. For this longtime lover of football, there's never been a better time for the sport than now.
“If we get past Sri Lanka, this is the first time that the Philippines will go to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, which is already an achievement. Kapag nanalo pa tayo sa Kuwait, I think that will seal the deal for Philippine football,” he declares. (Ronald S. Lim)
STUDENTS AND CAMPUSES BULLETIN (SCB): Did you ever expect this huge public response for the Azkals when you took over as a manager? Or is all of this a surprise to you?
DAN PALAMI (DP): I took over in January, 2010 because I loved the sport. I started playing when I was nine years old. Until now, I still play kahit papaano.
For a long time, everybody's been saying that we have potential in football, but nobody really had put their money where their mouth was, nobody really took the chance. Understandably, nobody in their right mind then would take a team who was losing 7-0, 13-1. If you were in there because you want fame and fortune, it was not the right sport to be in. Based on track record and the history of their performance, it was a losing proposition. That's why only someone who really loved the sport would take the chance to really develop it and see where it goes.
I knew that somehow, we could improve, but I never realized the impact and magnitude of the change. A year ago, nobody was talking about football except those who we can really say are regulars. And now, it's almost embedded in national consciousness. Even the networks, the sports reporters had trouble inserting football stories, even the results of the World Cup. Right now, hinahanap na. It's part of the mainstream sports news.
SCB: Did you think hard before you decided to take on the responsibility?
DP: No (laughs). If I really thought about it, I would have declined. All the reasons were there to decline it. I knew it was going to be difficult. There was really nowhere to go but up from that time, and you just had to gauge how different it could be from where it was and how high it could go. And now we realize that we can go this high. I'm glad for the sport, I'm glad for the players who have been there especially before all this, players like Yanti Bersales and Ian Araneta, Aly Borromeo. They were there when everything was really bad and I'm glad that they persevered. Now they're reaping the benefits.
SCB: When you first took over, did you have a timeline of what you wanted to achieve? Did you expect to accomplish this much?
DP: No, my goal then was to at least reach the qualifying stages for the Suzuki Cup. That was our goal, and the plan was to start training early. That was the first question I asked, what they were doing before, so I know what not to do.
We went to Laos, and from Laos we were one of the two to reach the group stages. That in itself was an accomplishment because that was the first time that the Philippines had ever qualified for the group stage. And then we got a bonus because after the group stage we were able to qualify for the semis.
SCB: But it is expensive to handle such a team!
DP: I was intending to actually handle the team only for that year because it was really putting stress on my pocket (laughs). But then there was a clamor for me to handle the team after that. I hope that we achieve bigger goals (laughs)! But it has really gotten better now. It's still expensive, but because the Azkals have become recognizable figures, when we go to places, sometimes libre na kami. Even if there's no inflow of funds, at least the outflow has been minimized. The Baguio Country Club would have cost us so much, but they said they would take care of the hotel and food, so that made a small problem disappear.
SCB: Was money really just the problem with the team before?
DP: I don't think it was just money because I'm sure they were spending big before. It's the judicious use of resources (laughs)!
SCB: Lawyer na lawyer!
DP: Oo nga eh (laughs)! Four years of law school (laughs)! Funding is always an important aspect of creating a very successful team. We had to make do with what little that we had then. I'm not a Lucio Tan or an MVP. But to go where we had gone, with the resources that we had, it was short of a miracle, I suppose.
Righting the wrong
SCB: In putting this team together, did you have to let go of some of the players?
DP: Always. That's the most painful part about the job of a manager. But I think we have to realize that if we want to be more competitive, you have to get better players when they come in. And sometimes that happens at the expense of other players. It's more difficult for me, because I've developed a close relationship with the players. Sometimes they go to me when they have problems with their girlfriends (laughs)!
When they're not part of the team anymore, it's heartbreaking for both of us. They know the risk. If there's a better player, you need to shape up or give up your place.
Ironically, even before the year that we had in 2010, all these players like Etheridge have already been playing for the National Team. The Younghusbands have been here since 2008. Neil was here when he was 18. Aly has been here, Anton was here. Ian and Chieffy were part of the team when they lost 13-1 to Indonesia. All the players except for Ray Jonsson and Manny Ott were already there.
SCB: The impression is that all these players just came in for last year's campaign.
DP: That is the impression because little is known of football here. Ang iniisip ng tao ay kaya nanalo last year ay dahil nandito na kasi sila. But the older fans know how it was then. Except for one or two players, almost all of the players had already been playing for the National Team, but they were not as successful. That's why when they are interviewed, they know what was the catalyst.
SCB: If the team was basically composed of the same players behind the successful 2010 campaign, what were they doing wrong beforehand?
DP: They would only form the team about two or three months before competitions, walang training. When I took over, I needed to have a goal. I wanted to bring the Philippines to a higher level in Southeast Asia. I had a plan. I wanted a coach with international experience. I wanted to make sure that they had enough practice.
I also shared my vision with the players that came in. It wasn't enough to just have a plan. I bonded with them and I really wanted to make sure that the players believed that we actually can, and that there is potential for us. I'm glad that they believed in the plan. That was important because everybody was moving towards this same direction.
SCB: So beforehand, the players were just resigned to defeat?
DP: Yes. In fact, in international press conferences, the question has always been “How much are you going to score against the Philippines?” It wasn't even a matter of who was going to win. They were asking how many goals they would be scoring. It was that bad.
Every time a player comes in, the plan is explained and they should believe in that themselves, para we all know where we are going and everybody is on the same page. I think that is one of the reasons why we were quite successful and why we continue to reap the benefits of the training and all these things. Everybody shares the same objective.
Dati kasi, they didn't even know who their manager was! The manager was just someone who handled the money from PFF (Philippine Football Federation) and distributed it to the players when they were there. Daily allowance nila. And then that's the last time they see him until the departure, when he comes back with all his shopping done and he has his pabaon.
'It feels like a dream'
SCB: What was the immediate reaction of the football community during the Suzuki Cup? Like you said, they already expected the team to lose.
DP: During the press conference on the first day, nobody asked questions about the Philippines, because seeded then were Singapore and Vietnam. Vietnam was the defending champion, and Singapore was a previous defending champion. They were the only two that mattered. We weren't at the table even when we were there.
After drawing Singapore, one or two questions were fielded to the Philippines, but everybody thought it was just luck. And I admit that there was an element of luck. And then Vietnam happened. We won, 2-0. We silenced a crowd of 40,000. We had problems going back to the hotel because the organizers had to make sure that we were safe and that all the security was there. Our last game was played two hours away against Myanmar.
After Vietnam, we were on ESPN Sportcenter's “Play of the Day”, we were in Sports Illustrated....
SCB: And you were on the front page of Fifa.com...
DP: And surprisingly, front page of the Philippine broadsheets! We got a message from the President. We didn't know what was happening here in the country when we won kasi we were still there. When we got back, all the support was there and the media attention was there.
SCB: Do you feel like all of this is just a dream?
DP: Until now. It feels like a dream.
Culturally, when you're reaping success, people will take notice. I also know that all of this will fly away if we don't continue the success that we've accomplished so far. As manager, I think it is my job to ensure that the team goes where we want it to go.
SCB: There's definitely a lot of pressure on you guys now.
DP: We still have a plan, but it has been changed because we now have a bigger objective. To achieve that, we have to ensure that the players who are part of the team are up to it. It's no longer enough that they believe in these goals, it's no longer enough that we are on the same page, we should now also be physically, mentally, and skills-wise capable of being in the area where we want to be, which is to be an Asian powerhouse.
SCB: Was there a feeling of disbelief among the other countries' football teams during the Suzuki Cup? Vietnam's coach felt that the team was just “parking the bus” during the game.
DP: Yes. Everybody was as surprised as we were that we actually won, and 2-0! It wasn't a fluke. Parking the bus is not an illegal strategy. It's something weaker teams do against strong teams. If you just park the bus all the time, then that means you're playing for a draw. But to win 2-0 means, somehow, players had to go forward to score those goals. We didn't really mind what the coach was saying.
SCB: What are the other things the team is doing for this upcoming World Cup qualifiers?
DP: I just want to make sure that the players all come together because cohesion is important. That's what I want to achieve for the team prior to the qualifiers. With the players that have come in, we are actually 150 percent stronger than the team we had in Myanmar. But how much better they can be will depend on how fast they achieve cohesion, something that I've asked the coach to do.
SCB: Early on, people didn't see Rizal Stadium as an option for the venue…
DP: Did they have any other option (laughs)? There are only two options in the Philippines right now, Rizal and Panaad. It's also important to hold the games in the capital for several reasons. One is that we lessen the logistical requirements. If you host a game, you supervise inland transportation, which means that when Sri Lanka comes over, you have to make sure that you buy tickets and fly them over to Bacolod. Same thing is true for our international players. They come to Manila from their countries and we have to fly them out to Bacolod. If they're here in Manila, that's less stress for the organizers.
Also, you can never really guess the fanbase. First, Rizal could actually have more people than Panaad. While I understand the desire of Bacolodnon and Ilonggos to have it in Panaad, I think people should realize that the Azkals are the property of the Philippines and not of Bacolod. I think most of the people in Bacolod realize that. It will also be a gauge for us to find out how popular the sport has become.
SCB: Do you expect the Manila crowd to be as big as Panaad?
DP: I could say yes, you could say no, but there's only one way to find out and that is to hold it here.
I really feel that it's easier for fans in other parts of the Philippines for the game to be held here. Even for the fans in Mindanao, Manila is just one flight away. It will take you longer to travel from the eastern part of Visayas to the western part than just going to Manila. It's more convenient for them. But we also need to promote football, and football is already entrenched in the Visayas. Holding a game here would help entrench it in this part of the country.
SCB: But the Visayas has many wide open spaces where aspiring players can play and train. Is it possible to cultivate a football culture here in the city where everything is so cramped? Is there a place here in the capital for football players to stretch their legs, so to speak?
DP: There are venues already being developed. The only problem is venues for international matches. But for practices and for games, you have the Sunken Garden in UP, you have Ateneo, you have the field in Fort Bonifacio. The Air Force has its field. A lot of football clinics are being conducted in Corinthians. There are actually a lot of open spaces.
SCB: Are you also planning to hold more friendly-games with other countries? How are we preparing for that? Is the renovation of Rizal Memorial Stadium a big part of that?
DP: We really need to have a venue for these matches. Having at least two venues, Panaad and Rizal will allow us more options. Halimbawang hindi maganda ang panahon dito, we can do it in Panaad. It all depends on how things will be on July 3. Tignan natin kung ano ‘yung response ng mga taga-Manila. I’m quite optimistic that a lot of people will be going there. It’s going to be a fiesta!
Azkals country
SCB: How has the team coped with the added media attention? Having so many people looking at them isn't always conducive to training.
DP: That's why for the World Cup qualifiers, we have to do the training in seclusion. We will not be looking past Sri Lanka. We will be preparing against Sri Lanka as if they were Spain. It's important that we anticipate already how Kuwait will play. They are really strong. But I think with proper training, I think the Philippines will give them a run for their money. I hope they come in complacent, so they'll be surprised (laughs).
SCB: Do criticisms about the team not being Filipino enough still affect you?
DP: I always see them and look at them as Filipinos, whether they're Filipinos residing abroad or Filipinos residing here. At the end of the day, if I see you, I don't call you 75 percent Malay, 25 percent Chinese. There's really no pure Filipino. We're a mix.
In fact, I think it's sort of discriminating to be calling them half-Filipino and half whatever the other nationality is. They're just Filipinos. They're residing abroad, but you'd be surprised at how patriotic they are. These players are more patriotic than Filipinos residing here. Whether or not you consider them Filipino enough, they are proud to be Filipinos, even if circumstances have them living abroad.
SCB: Were you surprised that there was even criticism about their nationality, rather than criticisms on how the team plays?
DP: I'm not surprised because narinig ko na rin 'yan. To be affected by it, I feel like they misunderstand being Filipino, which is why they criticize having Filipinos living abroad play for us.
SCB: There are also criticisms that the Azkals' success has resulted in other athletes being overlooked, even if they have accomplished more.
DP: The Azkals are here not to bring attention to themselves, but actually to bring attention to sports in general. We want to watch boxing as well. We want to watch basketball. Some of the guys play basketball.
Whatever attention we are getting right now is simply because we have achieved something. Why would we begrudge the players and the team the privilege of being recognized? In the past years, how much of the sports news has been about football? Wala naman, ngayon lang naman. Why should it be taken against them? If we didn't win, I don't think anybody would write anyway. Baka showbiz news siguro (laughs).
SCB: Was the focus of the entertainment industry on the Azkals unexpected?
DP: Well, hindi ko naman maitatanggi na may itsura ang mga players natin (laughs). Pero bonus na lang 'yun. We try as much as possible that we go on serious talk shows, sports shows. The players are human beings, they're hot-blooded young males, and seeing these showbiz personalities, it's understandable they can be enamored. Siguro naman, their priorities are still on football. Eh nagkagusto pa si Phil kay Angel (laughs).
SCB: You also said you were going to restrict their use of Twitter…
DP: Sometimes kasi kahit ano na lang tini-tweet nila. They have jokes amongst themselves na sabi ko kanila, that’s ok if direct message niyo na lang sa isa’t-isa. Naghaharutan kasi sa Twitter.
Football, always
SCB: When you were playing football, how good of a player were you?
DP: I was actually good except in our area, Eastern Visayas, we never had a football association. Kaya hindi kami ma-invite sa mga national matches. In the scheme of the Philippine Football Federation, there was no membership there. We never got the chance. I was only able to play as a guest player sa mga teams. I was really into sports then. I played basketball as a point guard. I can even hold on to the rim. I played volleyball, sepak takraw. But football has always been my passion.
SCB: Who are your football idols?
DP: Everybody wanted to be Pele. Until now he’s considered as the best player. By the time you reach a certain age, you just realize that you can’t be Pele. It’s that acceptance that allows you to play within the limits of your capabilities and just really have fun. It’s a sport but you’re supposed to have fun. That’s what I tell the players. Everytime we go out, focus on the game but primarily, have fun playing it because when you’re more relaxed, you can play better on that level.
SCB: You are behind the Leyte Football Association?
DP: One of the biggest frustrations that I had growing up in Tacloban City was the fact that that side of the Philippines, Eastern Visayas, never had representation in the Philippine Football Federation. Aspiring players like myself, never really had the chance to try out to the national team. That’s the reason why in 2003, we applied for a membership to the Philippine Football Association. Fortunately, last year, we were admitted as the 33rd and newest member.
As president of the Leyte Football Association, that was really one of my crusades, to have that side of the country be recognized and be able to participate in football matches. To play for the national team is something that is now achievable by the kids in Leyte.
SCB: Before all these happened, what was really your plan?
DP: My initial plan before I got to college was to be like my dad, a doctor. Kaya lang, pagpasok ko sa UP, all of my friends were taking up Political Science. So ako din. I might have disappointed my dad then. I planned to become a lawyer, so that’s what I took, pre-law. After the first sem, sinabihan ako ng uncle ko na lawyer, you know PoliSci might not be the best pre-law course, para may fallback ka why don’t you take up accountancy. CPA ka na, lawyer ka pa. Despite that Math has always been my waterloo in elementary and high school, sige. Anyway sa accounting ang binibilang mo pera. Pagtiyagaan ko na. I finished accountancy, took the CPA board and went to UP Law School. And then, while I was there, nagturo din ako. I come from a middle class family. Siguro kaya hindi ako nahirapan sa pag manage ng team, I’m the eldest of 14.
SCB: Parang isang football team na ‘yun!
DP: Oo nga eh (laughs). And then fourth year law school, an offer came from a railway company to be their administration and finance manager. Tinawagan ko ‘yung mga kaibigan ko sa law firms na nagtatrabaho na for two years, magkano ang sweldo niyo diyan. When they told me their salary, sabi ko, try kong doblehin, kapag dinoble ‘to, one more year of law school, six months of practice, plus two years, six months na review, take the Bar. After that, maghihintay ka ng six months, and then two years, that’s about four years. Sabi ko, etong sweldo nila, dinoble ko, maybe it’s a sign. Nung tinanong ako sa sweldo, ‘yun ang nilagay ko. Then ang sabi sa akin, you forgot to put your signing bonus (laughs).
That’s the sign! Since then, I’ve been involved in railways. It also helped, being a Belgian company then, they’re into football. When I’m in Belgium, we talk football. Kapag may World Cup, I try to go there.
SCB: Outside of sports and football, what do you do to unwind?
DP: When I go home, I get to my boat, I fish. I also play football. I get frustrated just watching. I have a team in the UFL. We won the league. I just can’t get enough of football. We also have a school in the province, St. Theresa Educational Foundation, I’m a board of director.
SCB: You are also a single parent?
DP: I spend time with my two daughters, 11 and nine years old. I enrolled my eldest daughter to a football school, because they’ve always been complaining, Dad you’re always on the football field. She texted me, Dad you’re right, football is fun. They’re enjoying football as well!
SCB: What if they don’t want to pursue football?
DP: That’s ok. I’ll always be supportive. Of course there’s no harm in trying to direct them to things where you want them to be. One thing I’ve learned, it’s better if you allow them to grow as they wish to. As parents we just support them.
SCB: May mga crush ba sila sa Azkals?
DP: They actually had several lessons from coach Phil and coach James. But when the Azkals were together and a lot of people were asking pictures from them, they would say no we want a picture with daddy only (laughs) They’re kind of daddy’s girls.
Football will survive
SCB: Ano pong nadala ninyo as a manager that the past managers didn’t have? Is it your experience in business?
DP: I’m used to handling a lot of different people. I have a Belgian, British, Mexican, Japanese, dealing with different cultures. It’s that experience of handling different kinds of people, from different backgrounds, of different ages also.
That has given me the experience to somehow guide the team. It’s not easy. Everyday you’re learning as well. You learn a lot from the players, the other coaches, even the people around you. Being able to adapt. Everyday is a learning process.
SCB: Suzuki is also now supporting the U23?
DP: Sponsors like these keep the momentum, and allow the sport to grow even further. If they know that they have a tournament or a league to look forward to or to join in, their interest is sustained. Parang basketball player, everybody wants to be in the PBA. Ikaw, football player, wala naman dati nun. Where do I go after varsity player, you get scholarships. But it’s different now. Our province will be joining the Under 23 Suzuki Cup.
SCB: Will you be getting players from these local teams as well?
DP: The reason why a partnership has been made between Suzuki and PFF was primarily to use this tournament as a platform to recruit players who could be part of the national team for the Southeast Asian Games to be coached by Michael Weiss as well. But it’s going to be difficult because if we get past Kuwait, then magsasabay ‘yung preparations ng U23 and the games for the World Cup. We might have to get another coach.
But it’s a happy problem for me. If that problem arises, that means we are in the group stages of the World Cup qualifiers, which is a very big milestone for the country. If you get past Sri Lanka, this is the first time that the Philippines will go to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, which is already an achievement. Kapag nanalo pa tayo sa Kuwait, I think that will seal the deal for Philippine football. We will be playing against four other countries for a spot in the World Cup in Brazil.
Games will be played here.
SCB: What other collateral benefits, not just to local football, has the success of Azkals brought to the country?
DP: It increased the level of awareness for sports in general, specifically on football.
The clinics being undertaken are full. Ateneo classes had to turn down students already, even in the provinces, medyo successful din ‘yung football clinics nila. I think when awareness in a sport is generated, kahit papaano other sports try to increase the standards also of their own sport. When a particular sport is given attention, you can’t help but also raise the level of awareness for your sport. Part of the reason why we’re trying to upgrade football, or at least increase the level of awareness, is because hindi nga napapansin. We have to make sure na malaman ng tao ang football. For the other sports, I hope that the Azkals story will inspire them to do the same thing on their own sport. Take a chance, have that goal, set a plan. The national team players should believe in the vision as well. That should be the formula.
SCB: How do you plan to maintain this success beyond? Some people say you are the driving force behind the success of the Azkals.
DP: Football, or any other sports, is bigger than the personalities behind it. Football will survive and will be there even after the Younghusbands are gone, the Borromeos or the Ethridges, or Dan Palami. What we could do is to make sure that there is enough momentum to keep this going even if other managers take over, and bring it even to greater heights.
While they say I’m the savior of Philippine football, I would like to think that I was just there to start it but somebody will have to keep things moving. But I will be there to support anybody who will be involved with the team in the future. I have a personal career as well. As of this time, I’m not contemplating on retiring yet. Even if I do, I’m sure people with good intentions would come in and bring this sport forward.
Link: mb.com.ph/articles/324225/for-love-game
Philippine National Football Team manager Dan Palami
By RONALD S. LIM and JASER A. MARASIGAN
June 26, 2011, 8:00am
MANILA, Philippines — In a country where basketball is king, Dan Palami has done the seemingly impossible. He has Filipinos talking about an entirely different sport — and he has them talking about football, of all things!
It's not like the country has no football pedigree to speak of. FC Barcelona, one of the world's best football teams, still ranks as its highest scorer Paulino Alcantara, a Filipino-Spanish mestizo who scored 357 goals in 357 matches he played for the football club. The country is also the birthplace of the Asian Football Confederation. Way back in 1917, the Philippine National Football Team demolished Japan with a 15-2 victory.
But after the country's basketball teams turned professional in 1974, football was slowly relegated to the background. Rather than be known as a powerhouse, the Philippine National Football Team has become better known as the whipping boy of Southeast Asian football, suffering such crushing defeats like the 13-1 loss to Indonesia in the 2002 AFF Suzuki Cup.
Perhaps that is why the amazing turnaround of the Azkals — the moniker given by fans to the Philippine National Football Team — under Palami's management has been the subject of such breathless media coverage. From being barely a bleep on the local sports pages, the Azkals now merit space on the front page of local broadsheets and even on the website of FIFA, the international body that governs football.
In fact, the Azkals are now set to battle Sri Lanka on Wednesday, June 29, and on Sunday, July 3, for a chance to play in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The last time the team tried to qualify for the World Cup was in 2002.
Palami, however, isn't one to hog the spotlight, pointing out that football is bigger that the personalities behind it.
“Football will survive and will be there even after the Younghusbands are gone, the Borromeos, the Etheridges, or Dan Palami. What we could do is to make sure that there is enough momentum to keep this going even if other managers take over,” he says.
It's ironic that as successful as the Azkals have been under his watch, Palami would not have taken up the job if he had actually sat down and thought about the job that lay ahead of him.
“If I really thought about it, I would have declined. I knew it was going to be difficult,” he says with a laugh. “There was really nowhere to go but up from that time, and now we realize that we can go this high.”
Scaling the heights they are now enjoying required some overhauling of the way the team was being run. Palami made sure that the Azkals had enough practice before a game and made sure that the team shared his winning vision.
“It wasn't enough to just have a plan. I bonded with them and I really wanted to make sure that the players believed that we actually can, and that there is potential for us,” he shares.
In this 60 Minutes conversation, Dan Palami talks about his dream for the development of the sport here in the country, as well as the chances that the team has in the eagerly awaited clash with Sri Lanka later this week. For this longtime lover of football, there's never been a better time for the sport than now.
“If we get past Sri Lanka, this is the first time that the Philippines will go to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, which is already an achievement. Kapag nanalo pa tayo sa Kuwait, I think that will seal the deal for Philippine football,” he declares. (Ronald S. Lim)
STUDENTS AND CAMPUSES BULLETIN (SCB): Did you ever expect this huge public response for the Azkals when you took over as a manager? Or is all of this a surprise to you?
DAN PALAMI (DP): I took over in January, 2010 because I loved the sport. I started playing when I was nine years old. Until now, I still play kahit papaano.
For a long time, everybody's been saying that we have potential in football, but nobody really had put their money where their mouth was, nobody really took the chance. Understandably, nobody in their right mind then would take a team who was losing 7-0, 13-1. If you were in there because you want fame and fortune, it was not the right sport to be in. Based on track record and the history of their performance, it was a losing proposition. That's why only someone who really loved the sport would take the chance to really develop it and see where it goes.
I knew that somehow, we could improve, but I never realized the impact and magnitude of the change. A year ago, nobody was talking about football except those who we can really say are regulars. And now, it's almost embedded in national consciousness. Even the networks, the sports reporters had trouble inserting football stories, even the results of the World Cup. Right now, hinahanap na. It's part of the mainstream sports news.
SCB: Did you think hard before you decided to take on the responsibility?
DP: No (laughs). If I really thought about it, I would have declined. All the reasons were there to decline it. I knew it was going to be difficult. There was really nowhere to go but up from that time, and you just had to gauge how different it could be from where it was and how high it could go. And now we realize that we can go this high. I'm glad for the sport, I'm glad for the players who have been there especially before all this, players like Yanti Bersales and Ian Araneta, Aly Borromeo. They were there when everything was really bad and I'm glad that they persevered. Now they're reaping the benefits.
SCB: When you first took over, did you have a timeline of what you wanted to achieve? Did you expect to accomplish this much?
DP: No, my goal then was to at least reach the qualifying stages for the Suzuki Cup. That was our goal, and the plan was to start training early. That was the first question I asked, what they were doing before, so I know what not to do.
We went to Laos, and from Laos we were one of the two to reach the group stages. That in itself was an accomplishment because that was the first time that the Philippines had ever qualified for the group stage. And then we got a bonus because after the group stage we were able to qualify for the semis.
SCB: But it is expensive to handle such a team!
DP: I was intending to actually handle the team only for that year because it was really putting stress on my pocket (laughs). But then there was a clamor for me to handle the team after that. I hope that we achieve bigger goals (laughs)! But it has really gotten better now. It's still expensive, but because the Azkals have become recognizable figures, when we go to places, sometimes libre na kami. Even if there's no inflow of funds, at least the outflow has been minimized. The Baguio Country Club would have cost us so much, but they said they would take care of the hotel and food, so that made a small problem disappear.
SCB: Was money really just the problem with the team before?
DP: I don't think it was just money because I'm sure they were spending big before. It's the judicious use of resources (laughs)!
SCB: Lawyer na lawyer!
DP: Oo nga eh (laughs)! Four years of law school (laughs)! Funding is always an important aspect of creating a very successful team. We had to make do with what little that we had then. I'm not a Lucio Tan or an MVP. But to go where we had gone, with the resources that we had, it was short of a miracle, I suppose.
Righting the wrong
SCB: In putting this team together, did you have to let go of some of the players?
DP: Always. That's the most painful part about the job of a manager. But I think we have to realize that if we want to be more competitive, you have to get better players when they come in. And sometimes that happens at the expense of other players. It's more difficult for me, because I've developed a close relationship with the players. Sometimes they go to me when they have problems with their girlfriends (laughs)!
When they're not part of the team anymore, it's heartbreaking for both of us. They know the risk. If there's a better player, you need to shape up or give up your place.
Ironically, even before the year that we had in 2010, all these players like Etheridge have already been playing for the National Team. The Younghusbands have been here since 2008. Neil was here when he was 18. Aly has been here, Anton was here. Ian and Chieffy were part of the team when they lost 13-1 to Indonesia. All the players except for Ray Jonsson and Manny Ott were already there.
SCB: The impression is that all these players just came in for last year's campaign.
DP: That is the impression because little is known of football here. Ang iniisip ng tao ay kaya nanalo last year ay dahil nandito na kasi sila. But the older fans know how it was then. Except for one or two players, almost all of the players had already been playing for the National Team, but they were not as successful. That's why when they are interviewed, they know what was the catalyst.
SCB: If the team was basically composed of the same players behind the successful 2010 campaign, what were they doing wrong beforehand?
DP: They would only form the team about two or three months before competitions, walang training. When I took over, I needed to have a goal. I wanted to bring the Philippines to a higher level in Southeast Asia. I had a plan. I wanted a coach with international experience. I wanted to make sure that they had enough practice.
I also shared my vision with the players that came in. It wasn't enough to just have a plan. I bonded with them and I really wanted to make sure that the players believed that we actually can, and that there is potential for us. I'm glad that they believed in the plan. That was important because everybody was moving towards this same direction.
SCB: So beforehand, the players were just resigned to defeat?
DP: Yes. In fact, in international press conferences, the question has always been “How much are you going to score against the Philippines?” It wasn't even a matter of who was going to win. They were asking how many goals they would be scoring. It was that bad.
Every time a player comes in, the plan is explained and they should believe in that themselves, para we all know where we are going and everybody is on the same page. I think that is one of the reasons why we were quite successful and why we continue to reap the benefits of the training and all these things. Everybody shares the same objective.
Dati kasi, they didn't even know who their manager was! The manager was just someone who handled the money from PFF (Philippine Football Federation) and distributed it to the players when they were there. Daily allowance nila. And then that's the last time they see him until the departure, when he comes back with all his shopping done and he has his pabaon.
'It feels like a dream'
SCB: What was the immediate reaction of the football community during the Suzuki Cup? Like you said, they already expected the team to lose.
DP: During the press conference on the first day, nobody asked questions about the Philippines, because seeded then were Singapore and Vietnam. Vietnam was the defending champion, and Singapore was a previous defending champion. They were the only two that mattered. We weren't at the table even when we were there.
After drawing Singapore, one or two questions were fielded to the Philippines, but everybody thought it was just luck. And I admit that there was an element of luck. And then Vietnam happened. We won, 2-0. We silenced a crowd of 40,000. We had problems going back to the hotel because the organizers had to make sure that we were safe and that all the security was there. Our last game was played two hours away against Myanmar.
After Vietnam, we were on ESPN Sportcenter's “Play of the Day”, we were in Sports Illustrated....
SCB: And you were on the front page of Fifa.com...
DP: And surprisingly, front page of the Philippine broadsheets! We got a message from the President. We didn't know what was happening here in the country when we won kasi we were still there. When we got back, all the support was there and the media attention was there.
SCB: Do you feel like all of this is just a dream?
DP: Until now. It feels like a dream.
Culturally, when you're reaping success, people will take notice. I also know that all of this will fly away if we don't continue the success that we've accomplished so far. As manager, I think it is my job to ensure that the team goes where we want it to go.
SCB: There's definitely a lot of pressure on you guys now.
DP: We still have a plan, but it has been changed because we now have a bigger objective. To achieve that, we have to ensure that the players who are part of the team are up to it. It's no longer enough that they believe in these goals, it's no longer enough that we are on the same page, we should now also be physically, mentally, and skills-wise capable of being in the area where we want to be, which is to be an Asian powerhouse.
SCB: Was there a feeling of disbelief among the other countries' football teams during the Suzuki Cup? Vietnam's coach felt that the team was just “parking the bus” during the game.
DP: Yes. Everybody was as surprised as we were that we actually won, and 2-0! It wasn't a fluke. Parking the bus is not an illegal strategy. It's something weaker teams do against strong teams. If you just park the bus all the time, then that means you're playing for a draw. But to win 2-0 means, somehow, players had to go forward to score those goals. We didn't really mind what the coach was saying.
SCB: What are the other things the team is doing for this upcoming World Cup qualifiers?
DP: I just want to make sure that the players all come together because cohesion is important. That's what I want to achieve for the team prior to the qualifiers. With the players that have come in, we are actually 150 percent stronger than the team we had in Myanmar. But how much better they can be will depend on how fast they achieve cohesion, something that I've asked the coach to do.
SCB: Early on, people didn't see Rizal Stadium as an option for the venue…
DP: Did they have any other option (laughs)? There are only two options in the Philippines right now, Rizal and Panaad. It's also important to hold the games in the capital for several reasons. One is that we lessen the logistical requirements. If you host a game, you supervise inland transportation, which means that when Sri Lanka comes over, you have to make sure that you buy tickets and fly them over to Bacolod. Same thing is true for our international players. They come to Manila from their countries and we have to fly them out to Bacolod. If they're here in Manila, that's less stress for the organizers.
Also, you can never really guess the fanbase. First, Rizal could actually have more people than Panaad. While I understand the desire of Bacolodnon and Ilonggos to have it in Panaad, I think people should realize that the Azkals are the property of the Philippines and not of Bacolod. I think most of the people in Bacolod realize that. It will also be a gauge for us to find out how popular the sport has become.
SCB: Do you expect the Manila crowd to be as big as Panaad?
DP: I could say yes, you could say no, but there's only one way to find out and that is to hold it here.
I really feel that it's easier for fans in other parts of the Philippines for the game to be held here. Even for the fans in Mindanao, Manila is just one flight away. It will take you longer to travel from the eastern part of Visayas to the western part than just going to Manila. It's more convenient for them. But we also need to promote football, and football is already entrenched in the Visayas. Holding a game here would help entrench it in this part of the country.
SCB: But the Visayas has many wide open spaces where aspiring players can play and train. Is it possible to cultivate a football culture here in the city where everything is so cramped? Is there a place here in the capital for football players to stretch their legs, so to speak?
DP: There are venues already being developed. The only problem is venues for international matches. But for practices and for games, you have the Sunken Garden in UP, you have Ateneo, you have the field in Fort Bonifacio. The Air Force has its field. A lot of football clinics are being conducted in Corinthians. There are actually a lot of open spaces.
SCB: Are you also planning to hold more friendly-games with other countries? How are we preparing for that? Is the renovation of Rizal Memorial Stadium a big part of that?
DP: We really need to have a venue for these matches. Having at least two venues, Panaad and Rizal will allow us more options. Halimbawang hindi maganda ang panahon dito, we can do it in Panaad. It all depends on how things will be on July 3. Tignan natin kung ano ‘yung response ng mga taga-Manila. I’m quite optimistic that a lot of people will be going there. It’s going to be a fiesta!
Azkals country
SCB: How has the team coped with the added media attention? Having so many people looking at them isn't always conducive to training.
DP: That's why for the World Cup qualifiers, we have to do the training in seclusion. We will not be looking past Sri Lanka. We will be preparing against Sri Lanka as if they were Spain. It's important that we anticipate already how Kuwait will play. They are really strong. But I think with proper training, I think the Philippines will give them a run for their money. I hope they come in complacent, so they'll be surprised (laughs).
SCB: Do criticisms about the team not being Filipino enough still affect you?
DP: I always see them and look at them as Filipinos, whether they're Filipinos residing abroad or Filipinos residing here. At the end of the day, if I see you, I don't call you 75 percent Malay, 25 percent Chinese. There's really no pure Filipino. We're a mix.
In fact, I think it's sort of discriminating to be calling them half-Filipino and half whatever the other nationality is. They're just Filipinos. They're residing abroad, but you'd be surprised at how patriotic they are. These players are more patriotic than Filipinos residing here. Whether or not you consider them Filipino enough, they are proud to be Filipinos, even if circumstances have them living abroad.
SCB: Were you surprised that there was even criticism about their nationality, rather than criticisms on how the team plays?
DP: I'm not surprised because narinig ko na rin 'yan. To be affected by it, I feel like they misunderstand being Filipino, which is why they criticize having Filipinos living abroad play for us.
SCB: There are also criticisms that the Azkals' success has resulted in other athletes being overlooked, even if they have accomplished more.
DP: The Azkals are here not to bring attention to themselves, but actually to bring attention to sports in general. We want to watch boxing as well. We want to watch basketball. Some of the guys play basketball.
Whatever attention we are getting right now is simply because we have achieved something. Why would we begrudge the players and the team the privilege of being recognized? In the past years, how much of the sports news has been about football? Wala naman, ngayon lang naman. Why should it be taken against them? If we didn't win, I don't think anybody would write anyway. Baka showbiz news siguro (laughs).
SCB: Was the focus of the entertainment industry on the Azkals unexpected?
DP: Well, hindi ko naman maitatanggi na may itsura ang mga players natin (laughs). Pero bonus na lang 'yun. We try as much as possible that we go on serious talk shows, sports shows. The players are human beings, they're hot-blooded young males, and seeing these showbiz personalities, it's understandable they can be enamored. Siguro naman, their priorities are still on football. Eh nagkagusto pa si Phil kay Angel (laughs).
SCB: You also said you were going to restrict their use of Twitter…
DP: Sometimes kasi kahit ano na lang tini-tweet nila. They have jokes amongst themselves na sabi ko kanila, that’s ok if direct message niyo na lang sa isa’t-isa. Naghaharutan kasi sa Twitter.
Football, always
SCB: When you were playing football, how good of a player were you?
DP: I was actually good except in our area, Eastern Visayas, we never had a football association. Kaya hindi kami ma-invite sa mga national matches. In the scheme of the Philippine Football Federation, there was no membership there. We never got the chance. I was only able to play as a guest player sa mga teams. I was really into sports then. I played basketball as a point guard. I can even hold on to the rim. I played volleyball, sepak takraw. But football has always been my passion.
SCB: Who are your football idols?
DP: Everybody wanted to be Pele. Until now he’s considered as the best player. By the time you reach a certain age, you just realize that you can’t be Pele. It’s that acceptance that allows you to play within the limits of your capabilities and just really have fun. It’s a sport but you’re supposed to have fun. That’s what I tell the players. Everytime we go out, focus on the game but primarily, have fun playing it because when you’re more relaxed, you can play better on that level.
SCB: You are behind the Leyte Football Association?
DP: One of the biggest frustrations that I had growing up in Tacloban City was the fact that that side of the Philippines, Eastern Visayas, never had representation in the Philippine Football Federation. Aspiring players like myself, never really had the chance to try out to the national team. That’s the reason why in 2003, we applied for a membership to the Philippine Football Association. Fortunately, last year, we were admitted as the 33rd and newest member.
As president of the Leyte Football Association, that was really one of my crusades, to have that side of the country be recognized and be able to participate in football matches. To play for the national team is something that is now achievable by the kids in Leyte.
SCB: Before all these happened, what was really your plan?
DP: My initial plan before I got to college was to be like my dad, a doctor. Kaya lang, pagpasok ko sa UP, all of my friends were taking up Political Science. So ako din. I might have disappointed my dad then. I planned to become a lawyer, so that’s what I took, pre-law. After the first sem, sinabihan ako ng uncle ko na lawyer, you know PoliSci might not be the best pre-law course, para may fallback ka why don’t you take up accountancy. CPA ka na, lawyer ka pa. Despite that Math has always been my waterloo in elementary and high school, sige. Anyway sa accounting ang binibilang mo pera. Pagtiyagaan ko na. I finished accountancy, took the CPA board and went to UP Law School. And then, while I was there, nagturo din ako. I come from a middle class family. Siguro kaya hindi ako nahirapan sa pag manage ng team, I’m the eldest of 14.
SCB: Parang isang football team na ‘yun!
DP: Oo nga eh (laughs). And then fourth year law school, an offer came from a railway company to be their administration and finance manager. Tinawagan ko ‘yung mga kaibigan ko sa law firms na nagtatrabaho na for two years, magkano ang sweldo niyo diyan. When they told me their salary, sabi ko, try kong doblehin, kapag dinoble ‘to, one more year of law school, six months of practice, plus two years, six months na review, take the Bar. After that, maghihintay ka ng six months, and then two years, that’s about four years. Sabi ko, etong sweldo nila, dinoble ko, maybe it’s a sign. Nung tinanong ako sa sweldo, ‘yun ang nilagay ko. Then ang sabi sa akin, you forgot to put your signing bonus (laughs).
That’s the sign! Since then, I’ve been involved in railways. It also helped, being a Belgian company then, they’re into football. When I’m in Belgium, we talk football. Kapag may World Cup, I try to go there.
SCB: Outside of sports and football, what do you do to unwind?
DP: When I go home, I get to my boat, I fish. I also play football. I get frustrated just watching. I have a team in the UFL. We won the league. I just can’t get enough of football. We also have a school in the province, St. Theresa Educational Foundation, I’m a board of director.
SCB: You are also a single parent?
DP: I spend time with my two daughters, 11 and nine years old. I enrolled my eldest daughter to a football school, because they’ve always been complaining, Dad you’re always on the football field. She texted me, Dad you’re right, football is fun. They’re enjoying football as well!
SCB: What if they don’t want to pursue football?
DP: That’s ok. I’ll always be supportive. Of course there’s no harm in trying to direct them to things where you want them to be. One thing I’ve learned, it’s better if you allow them to grow as they wish to. As parents we just support them.
SCB: May mga crush ba sila sa Azkals?
DP: They actually had several lessons from coach Phil and coach James. But when the Azkals were together and a lot of people were asking pictures from them, they would say no we want a picture with daddy only (laughs) They’re kind of daddy’s girls.
Football will survive
SCB: Ano pong nadala ninyo as a manager that the past managers didn’t have? Is it your experience in business?
DP: I’m used to handling a lot of different people. I have a Belgian, British, Mexican, Japanese, dealing with different cultures. It’s that experience of handling different kinds of people, from different backgrounds, of different ages also.
That has given me the experience to somehow guide the team. It’s not easy. Everyday you’re learning as well. You learn a lot from the players, the other coaches, even the people around you. Being able to adapt. Everyday is a learning process.
SCB: Suzuki is also now supporting the U23?
DP: Sponsors like these keep the momentum, and allow the sport to grow even further. If they know that they have a tournament or a league to look forward to or to join in, their interest is sustained. Parang basketball player, everybody wants to be in the PBA. Ikaw, football player, wala naman dati nun. Where do I go after varsity player, you get scholarships. But it’s different now. Our province will be joining the Under 23 Suzuki Cup.
SCB: Will you be getting players from these local teams as well?
DP: The reason why a partnership has been made between Suzuki and PFF was primarily to use this tournament as a platform to recruit players who could be part of the national team for the Southeast Asian Games to be coached by Michael Weiss as well. But it’s going to be difficult because if we get past Kuwait, then magsasabay ‘yung preparations ng U23 and the games for the World Cup. We might have to get another coach.
But it’s a happy problem for me. If that problem arises, that means we are in the group stages of the World Cup qualifiers, which is a very big milestone for the country. If you get past Sri Lanka, this is the first time that the Philippines will go to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers, which is already an achievement. Kapag nanalo pa tayo sa Kuwait, I think that will seal the deal for Philippine football. We will be playing against four other countries for a spot in the World Cup in Brazil.
Games will be played here.
SCB: What other collateral benefits, not just to local football, has the success of Azkals brought to the country?
DP: It increased the level of awareness for sports in general, specifically on football.
The clinics being undertaken are full. Ateneo classes had to turn down students already, even in the provinces, medyo successful din ‘yung football clinics nila. I think when awareness in a sport is generated, kahit papaano other sports try to increase the standards also of their own sport. When a particular sport is given attention, you can’t help but also raise the level of awareness for your sport. Part of the reason why we’re trying to upgrade football, or at least increase the level of awareness, is because hindi nga napapansin. We have to make sure na malaman ng tao ang football. For the other sports, I hope that the Azkals story will inspire them to do the same thing on their own sport. Take a chance, have that goal, set a plan. The national team players should believe in the vision as well. That should be the formula.
SCB: How do you plan to maintain this success beyond? Some people say you are the driving force behind the success of the Azkals.
DP: Football, or any other sports, is bigger than the personalities behind it. Football will survive and will be there even after the Younghusbands are gone, the Borromeos or the Ethridges, or Dan Palami. What we could do is to make sure that there is enough momentum to keep this going even if other managers take over, and bring it even to greater heights.
While they say I’m the savior of Philippine football, I would like to think that I was just there to start it but somebody will have to keep things moving. But I will be there to support anybody who will be involved with the team in the future. I have a personal career as well. As of this time, I’m not contemplating on retiring yet. Even if I do, I’m sure people with good intentions would come in and bring this sport forward.
Link: mb.com.ph/articles/324225/for-love-game