After the shockingly good result from the Azkals in the AFF Suzuki Cup, the eyes of Southeast Asian football clubs have been opened to the immense talents of Filipino footballers, especially of those Fil-foreigners.
Making the news rounds about a month ago was the news that the Younghusbands were being wooed by the Indonesian premier League, a breakaway league not recognized byt he Indonesian Football Association.
However, the Younghusbands were adamant about keeping the Azkals their first priority and nthing came out of the rumors.
Things turned out very differently for Fil-Dutch Jason De Jong. He first scored an audition with Indonesian club Sriwijaya but did not come to terms with them. Then he auditioned for Persiba Balikpapan and successfully signed and $80,000 contract for 2011 season.
Ironically, his first game with Persiba was a 5-1 defeat to Sriwijaya, the team he first auditioned for.
But what is more more alarming is the possibility that, in a few more years, more and more of our best footballers will be signed by Indonesian, Malaysian and Vietnamese clubs which can then make them unavailable to the Azkals.
This will weaken the national team immensely while making sure that the traditional football powerhouses stay on top.
So where's our football league that will keep our Fil-foreigners and homegrown talents in the Philippines?
For more, read the Manila Bulletin article here.
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