THE national women’s football team is eyeing a training camp in preparation for its coming campaign in the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup.
“The groundwork for the US trip has to be done,” head coach Marlon Maro said, “because face-to-face training is impossible to conduct in the country given the government strict policy and requirements with regard to Covid-19 cases.”
Maro said the players, known as Malditas, need to return to the field the soonest considering the tournament that serves as a qualifier for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup will be in three months from January 20 to February 2 in India.
“We can’t train face-to-face here because the government’s clear in its stand that unless the general population is vaccinated, we can’t do normal things,” Maro said. “And we can’t wait for that moment because we’re playing in January.”
Maro bared his plans for the team in Tuesday’s online session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum where he was joined by Assistant Coach Rose Ton Barinan and midfielder Rocelle Mendano.
Maro said the training camp will be in Irvine, California.
“At the moment, that still hangs in the balance as other players and some members of the coaching staff have yet to secure their respective US visas,” he said.
The visa section of the US Embassy in Manila is only accommodating emergency visits to America.
Maro said the Philippine Football Federation is seeking the help of its US counterpart for the players and coaches’ visas.
The team is coming off a successful campaign in the Asian Cup qualifiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where it topped Group F.
The top five teams in the AFC Cup will advance to Australia for the World Cup.