Philippine Football Federation director of national teams Freddy Gonzales wants the men and women’s teams to dominate Southeast Asia.
In a radio interview, the former national team player said the men’s and women’s national teams should seek consistent success in tournaments such as the Asian Football Federation Mitsubishi Electric Cup and the AFF Women’s Championship.
That’s not all, Gonzales said.
“I wanna win the Mitsubishi Cup, that’s for sure. I wanna win the Southeast Asian Games. I wanna beat these teams. I’m very competitive and these guys gave me a hard time when I was a player.”
“So I want our teams now to give them a hard time and really prove to this other, not just ASEAN countries but Asian countries that we are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the national team and you shouldn’t take Filipinos lightly.”
The Filipinas won the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship in Manila after a 3-0 beating over Thailand in the final.
They also clinched a bronze medal at the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam and debuted in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
As for the Azkals, they have yet to win a medal in the Mitsubishi Electric Cup despite four semifinal appearances in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018.
In 2019, the Azkals debuted in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
The men’s team is gearing up for the resumption of the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers this year as the squad faces Iraq on 22 March.
