[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Global begins Champs League quest tonight’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By ADRIAN STEWART CO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
MANILA – The Global Football Club-Philippines begins its tough grind in the qualification round of the 2017 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League when it faces Singapore’s Tampines Rovers today at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.
Global earned a ticket to the east zone qualification stage of the prestigious football tournament after sweeping two titles in the 2016 United Football League (UFL) season.
This also marks the first time that the country is sending a representative to Asia’s biggest club football competition. The Philippines is ranked 11 among 12 countries in the region.
Leading the way for Global are Philippine Azkals members Misagh Bahadoran, Amani Aguinaldo, Dennis Villanueva, Matt Hartmann, Patrick Deyto, Hikaru Minegishi, Paolo Bugas, Paolo Salenga, Marco Casambre, and Jerry Barbaso.
Also in the team are new acquisitions Dodong Villareal and Ronnie Aguisanda, who come from the Green Archers United Globe Football Club, and Paul Mulders, who returned to Global after a brief stint with the Ceres-Negros Football Club.
Global has also brought in four foreign players in Brazilian centerback Rafael Dumas, Japanese striker Shu Sasaki, Australian Yianni Perkatis, and Trinidadian Darryl Roberts.
After the Tampines Rovers, Global will next battle Brisbane Roar of Australia on Jan. 31 and China’s Shanghai Shenhua on Feb. 7.
If Global fails to beat one or all of the three teams, they will be relegated to the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation Cup, the region’s second-tier club tournament.
The top six clubs for the countries in the East Zone were given direct entries to the group stage of the Asian Champions League while the bottom six were given slots to the preliminary rounds.
Two slots were allotted for the Philippines in the AFC Cup. The other one was already secured by the Ceres-Negros Football Club, the second placer in the UFL tournament this year.
If Global miraculously makes it to the Champions League group stage, the Loyola Meralco Sparks Football League, third-placers in the UFL league, will be nominated for the other AFC Cup berth./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
