The Panaad football pitch in Bacolod City is one of the two venues being considered by the Philippine Football Federation to host the home game of the Philippine Azkals against Sri Lanka on July 3 for the qualifying series of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Negrenses were captivated by the Azkals when they played against Mongolia, February 9 at the Panaad Stadium for the first leg of their 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifier.
The almost 20,000 who trooped to the stadium to watch the game, witnessed the 2-0 victory of the Azkals against the Mongolia Blue Wolves.
But while the Panaad stadium can comfortably accommodate 18,000, the Rizal Memorial Stadium has the capacity to seat 30,000 people. It had also played host to some of the biggest sporting tournaments in Southeast Asia, among them the 1991 and 2005 Southeast Asian Games.
Ranked 173rd in the FIFA world rankings, Sri Lanka will host the first game of the World Cup qualifier on June 29. The Philippines is currently ranked 151st.
The Azkals are presently enjoying their break after their historic feat of qualifying in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup by finishing second to Palestine in Myanmar.
The Filipinos had a 1-1 drew against host Myanmar, held their ground against Palestine for a scoreless draw, then prevailed over Bangladesh, 3-0, to qualify for the Challenge Cup.
Getting their share of the limelight along with the Fil-foreign players in the team are stand-in goalkeeper Negrenses Eduard Sacapaño and Reymark Palmes.*NAB
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