RP booters dropped from Youth Games roster

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine football team, placed under quarantine in Singapore after one of its players was confirmed to have contracted the Influenza A(H1N1) virus, was formally scratched off in the list of participating teams in the Asian Youth Games on Tuesday. The Singapore Health Ministry denied Filipino officials’ appeal to cut short the team’s period of isolation so it coulc join the 12 other nations in the meet, DZSR reported, quoting RP team deputy chef de mission and Philippine Football Federation president Mari Martinez. The Philippines, though, is not the lone “casualty" of swine flu in the tournament as Hong Kong, which has four confirmed cases, was also taken out of the competition line up. As some sort of consolation, though, the host nation will allow the Filipino booters to play an exhibition match against a still-unnamed team sometime between the end of their quarantine period on Friday and their scheduled flight back home on June 28, DZSR added.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV The football contingent was the first from the Philippines to check in at the youth meet as their competition is slated a week before the Games’ formal opening on June 29. But the footballers’ Singapore trip suffered a blow when one player, a 14-year-old boy, tested positive for A(H1N1) last Friday and in compliance with Singapore’s health guidelines, the whole team was placed in a seven-day quarantine at a beach resort. The team composed of 17 players, two coaches and one therapist eventually cleared subsequent A(H1N1) tests, prompting RP officials – Martinez and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Harry Angping, who even flew in from Manila – to make an appeal before Singaporean authorities to let the squad play its scheduled matches. While in quarantine, the team continued to limber up and keep themselves fit, anxious to show their stuff on the football field. The nationwide selection of 14-and-under players had been training together for over a month for the historic first Asian Youth Games. But as it turned out, the Filipino booters will see action in Singapore only once – in a friendly match at that. – GMANews.TV